Dawnbreak
by Annie Coomes
Summary: As Castle appears on a breakfast TV show the studio is raided and hostages are taken. Can Kate rescue Castle and the hostages? Or will she have to make a decision that she might not be able to live with? [Set in season 6]
1. Introduction

Kate watched Castle from across the loft. His hair was gloriously ruffled, still standing at odd angles from where he had just rolled out of bed. She smiled guiltily as he glanced up and caught her staring at him.

"Problem, Detective Beckett?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and just the hint of a smile glinting in his eyes.

"Hmm?" She answered, noncommittally as she meandered across the loft to stand before him. He reached out to gently wrap a loose curl around his finger, as he used the flat of his hand to pull her gently against him.

"I was just wondering if you were going to keep this look for your TV appearance this morning?"'she teased as she gestured up to his hair. He grinned wickedly at her before answering.

"I was planning on smoothing it over in the shower first… Perhaps a task you could help me with?" He murmured into her ear. Kate pressed herself against his chest, biting her lip as she smiled up at him. Whatever words she was about to speak to him were lost as the familiar sound of her phone interrupted them.

Castle pressed a kiss to her forehead before giving her a wink.

"To be continued?" He suggested as she picked up her phone to check the message. She met his eyes and smiled apologetically.

"I've got to go in. Good luck for this morning, ten o'clock right?"

"Ten o'clock, live from Channel 5. Yours truly in all his glory!" He declared as he gave her another boyish grin. She matched his smile.

"Try to save something for later" she teased.

Castle pulled Kate to him and pressed his lips softly to hers.

"Be safe" he murmured softly as he squeezed her tight.

"Always" she replied before pressing one more kiss to his lips. As Kate set off across the city to the precinct, Castle began to dress himself for his guest spot on the Dawnbreak show, whistling to himself as he went.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Castle arrived at the Dawnbreak studios at 9am giving himself enough time to work his way around the set and to check his hair looked reasonable. He stopped in front of a mirror to run his fingers through his floppy, brown locks whilst grinning to himself. His thoughts were with Kate. His thoughts were always with Kate.

As he finished patting down his hair, he heard his name being called from down the corridor.

"Rick! Rick!" The voice belong to Sarah Hargreaves. She was a short woman, her head barley reaching the top of Castle's shoulder. She'd made her name in breakfast television as a quick witted woman with an infectious smile. She was an old friend of Castle's which was why when she'd called the night before begging for him to guest star on her show, he'd obliged.

Sarah threw her arms around him as he bent down to kiss one of her cheeks.

"Sarah!" He smiled down at her. "How are you? How are the kids?"

"All perfect. Thank you again for doing this at the last minute!" she released him from her grasp and began to herd him down the corridor towards her set.

"Any time" he responded "I keep meaning to promote Raging Heat, especially after that awful infomercial". He winced inwardly to himself as he recalled the remixed version of his attempt at Internet advertising.

Sarah paused to chuckle.

"Well, we definitely all enjoyed it!".

Sarah showed him around he set, talking him through the topics she'd be covering, showing him the sofas on the stage and offering him a cup of coffee. It was 10 minutes until they would be live on air.

At the precinct Kate had wrapped up her case and was sat at her desk completing her paperwork. She glanced across the bullpen where Espo and Ryan sat at adjoining desks. The boys were flicking through the files on their desks occasionally tapping away at the keyboard. Kate could see the boys were as fed up with paperwork as she was. Glancing at the clock she saw it was nearly ten. She stood up, shaking out her hair which fell into loose curls over her shoulders. She stretched her hands out in front of her and felt her spine uncurl after spending hours hunched over the desk. She glanced towards the boys.

"Coffee?" She called out as she headed towards the break room, the sound of her heels making a gentle tapping noise in the quiet room. They both looked up at her and replied in unison.

"Please."

Kate fiddled with the coffee machine until she'd made three hot coffees, the smell was aromatic and flooded her nostrils. The smell of coffee always brought the hint of a smile to her lips, it was a smell she'd come to associated with many good memories. A smell she'd come to associate with Castle.

She passed the boys a cup each and flicked on the TV in the corner. If they were going to be stuck doing paperwork, she thought, at least they could laugh over Castle's hair at the same time.

They perched on the edge of their desks, taking a well earned break as the weather forecast began to fade from the screen. Then the screen was filled with his handsome face. She felt a smile pass across her face as she watched him grinning into the cameras. She nodded in approval to herself as she noted his hair had been combed into a more orderly mop upon his head.

"Here with me today is the famous mystery writer, Richard Castle" the blaring sound of the television filled the room as the boys joked over Castle's choice in tie.

"It's a pleasure to be here" Castle replied as he smiled again for the cameras.

"You've had a very busy year. Assisting the police at the 12th precinct, writing Raging Heat, and of course announcing your engagement to one of New York's finest detectives!"

Kate's eyes left the screen to arch an eyebrow at Ryan and Espo who were sniggering to each other. The next sound Kate heard caused her heart to freeze. She heard the sound of an explosion, the crackling of gunpowder and the echo of shocked screams. Her eyes darted to the screen, her entire body tense as she leapt up from the desk. The studio was filled with smoke. Her eyes searched the screen, searching for any sign of movement. Her hands clenched against her sides, not quite believing what she was seeing. As the smoke began to clear a masked face filled the screen. The eyes glinted in the way of a madman and the screen went black.

"Castle?!".


	3. Chapter 2

_It's been years since I've written fan fiction. Thank you so much for the positive words and welcome back! :)_

 **Chapter 2**

"Castle?!" The words left Kate's mouth in a breathless whisper. It seemed that time had stood still as she stood, swaying gently, whilst her tawny eyes continued to search the empty frame of the TV. Her hands remained in small fists at her side, her entire body tensed ready for a fight. The sound of her heartbeat filled her ears as her lungs screamed for oxygen – it was as though she was afraid that if she moved this moment would become real. If it became real then she could not escape it.

It was the warm hand of Espo on her upper arm that broke her from her trance. She dragged in a ragged breath trying to force herself to unclench her hands.

"Beckett?" Ryan asked gently. Kate shook her head refusing to believe what she had just seen. She dug her hand into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her phone. As she dialled his number she counted in her head. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and breathe._ As she reached ten the phone stopped ringing and she was greeted with Castle's voice.

"You've reached Richard Castle, leave me a message and I'll call you back."

"Castle" the word was a whisper, a prayer. Kate took another deep breath.

"Castle, when you get this call me. Immediately. I- " she paused again, fighting for air, fighting for clarity as the fear of the unknown rolled through her in waves.

"God… Castle. Just call me. I love you."

As she closed her phone she closed her eyes, preparing her defences as she drew her strength together. When she opened her eyes they were set, the tension from moments before had disappeared. They were now the eyes of a hunter. Of a woman who would stop at nothing to retrieve what was hers.

She turned to face Ryan and Espo.

"I can't get through to the station, all lines have been disconnected. The station has stopped broadcasting all channels. There's been no word and no demands" Espo summed up, his voice quiet and emotionless.

"Okay" Beckett looked around her team, "let's get down there, see what the situation is on the ground, let's coordinate with SWAT and the hostage negotiation team on our way. Best to call the FBI too, keep them in the loop". Her voice was strong now, she had flat cop eyes as she gave out her orders. As she headed towards the door Ryan stopped her.

"Beckett-"

"I'm fine Ryan, I'm fine."

Ryan studied her face, he didn't quite believe her, he could hear the tremor in her voice despite the armour she'd put on. But he let her go, walking past him with the sound of her heels clinking nearly as loudly as her invisible armour.

In the studio Castle's eyes stung from the smoke grenade. The grenade had been thrown through the door of the studio giving them no warning as it exploded, releasing thick tendrils of smoke throughout the room. Instinctively Castle had thrown himself to the floor, taking Sarah with him. Moments later the power had been shut down, the once bright set had been plunged into darkness with the busy whirlings of the computers and cameras shutting down one by one.

Castle was behind the sofa in the middle of the set, he peeked up slowly over the edge of the sofa. What he saw caused his heart to freeze and his stomach to sink. He saw four men dressed all in black, bullet proof vests covered their chests, ski masks disguised their features and they each held an AK-47 in front of them. Castle dropped back to his knees behind the sofa.

"What? What did you see?" Sarah asked, her voice shaking nearly as much as her hands. Castle just shook his head silencing her. He began to slowly reach into his pocket, beginning to pull out his phone.

"What- what are you doing?" She whispered, watching Castle with wide, frightened eyes. He mouthed "Beckett" at her, gesturing for her to keep watch nearby. She nodded at him, hugging her knees close to her chest as she looked over her shoulder. Castle saw his phone had several missed calls and was flashing with a voicemail. He clenched a fist as he pictured her face as she frantically dialled his number. He pushed call connect and his phone quietly began to ring.

Beckett had taken a few moments to draw in deep breaths as she stalked down the corridor towards her car. Her mind was a turmoil of emotions. Gut wrenching fear that something had happened to him, anger at whoever had caused this and a soul clenching pain that threatened to overwhelm every cell in her body. She paused to press her hands against the wall, leaning forward. _Breathe, just breathe_. She could hear Castle's voice in her head. Damn it, she was not going to let them take him from her. Not now. Not after everything they'd been through. She took one more deep breath, threw her shoulders back, checked her weapon on her hip and strode forward.

As she reached her car her phone buzzed against her hip. The words that lit up the screen caused such a crashing sense of relief it made her stagger with dizziness.

"Castle?!" Her voice was a breath. A whisper, daring to hope.

"Kate."

"Oh thank god, Castle"

The next sound she heard was that of a gunshot. Then the line went dead.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The bullet sliced past Castle's ear, lodging itself in the centre of his phone. He looked down at his phone, the bullet sitting square in the middle of the screen. Small pieces of glass fell from the shattered screen and cut into his palm. Instinctively, he released the phone, letting it fall to the floor, now redundant.

He could hear the frightened screams echoing around the studio, the gunshot had caused several people to run towards the door, whilst others reminded hidden behind and under furniture. Castle slowly raised his head to meet the eyes of the gunman, at the same time he raised his hands in front of him, palms out with a gentle trickle of blood running down his fingers.

"Woah…woah" Castle murmured quietly. The gunman had dark, fierce eyes. They were eyes that appeared to be filled with hate and a quiet sense of rage – against what, Castle was not sure.

"On your knees" the gunman commanded. He had a heavy accent with a Texan drawl. Castle slowly dropped to his knees, being careful to keep eye contact with the Texan. He remembered from his Derek Storm research to try to make the kidnappers see you as human, try to make a connection.

The Texan held his gaze for a moment, both men staring each other down until Castle relinquished the power and averted his gaze to the floor. The Texan gestured to the three other gunmen within the room.

"Find a secure location. I want all the hostages in one room together"

He walked across the room as he barked out the command, pausing over where Castle knelt. He bent to pick up the now shattered phone next to him.

"No-one likes a hero" he taunted into Castle's ear with a gravelly whisper before shocking him with a quick punch to the stomach. Castle grunted and used all his willpower not to bend over in pain. _Breathe, just breathe._

XXXXXXX

 _Breathe, just breathe._

"Yo, Beckett?" Espo called from across the parking garage. When he moved closer he could see the edges of panic in her eyes.

"Beckett, what is it?" He asked more gently this time. Beckett held the phone so tightly her knuckles had started to turn white. She was afraid if she released her grip on the phone then she would no longer be able to control the tremors in her hands.

"It was Castle" she said, her voice cracking as she said his name. She paused to clear her throat and try again.

"It was Castle… Then it was a gunshot. It went dead. I…I don't know what happened." Speaking the words out loud made her feel lost again, as though she was losing her grip on sanity.

"Okay. It will be okay. He's not stupid" he paused as Beckett gave him a look. "Well, he's not always stupid" he continued. Beckett studied his eyes and after a moment nodded.

"Let's go".

They pulled up outside the TV studios within twenty minutes. The perimeter had already been cordoned off and was crawling with cops. Barricades had been placed along the sidewalks to hold back the press and curious passerbys. Beckett surveyed the crowd from within her car, her eyes drinking in the features of the array of people watching. She searched each face hoping to see something that would jump out at her. She saw nothing. She pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and gave herself just ten seconds to breathe. Drawing in her last gulp of air she opened the door and stepped out into the crowd.

The commotion attacked her senses, the ringing of the police sirens, the buzz of the crowd, the flash of the camera lights and the echo of footsteps pounding the pavement. She shaded her eyes from the sun as she squinted up to the Channel 5 building. The building was four floors high, with the Dawnbreak studios being located on the fourth floor. The other floors were filled with an array of sets, studios and offices.

Beckett looked around and walked up to the man who appeared to be the fire captain.

"Sir, I'm Detective Beckett, can you tell me what we know?" .

Captain Tyler looked down at her, he was a large man with muscles built from years of running into burning buildings. He had removed most of his fire equipment now and stood with his white shirt rolled up to his elbows.

"Fire alarm was set off by what we assume to be smoke grenades. The alarm means most people were evacuated from the building except from the fourth floor. Witnesses report all doors to the fourth floor being blocked off. We're estimating we have around 20 – 30 people remaining within the building. We'll know more when a full role call has been completed." He reported with an efficiency that told Kate he'd spent years on the job. She nodded to him in thanks.

"Who's the lead on the ground?"

"Agent Skinner. With the blocked doors, smoke grenades and masked men on the TV screen we contacted the FBI. Skinner was already in the area. He's coordinating from the bus stop."

Beckett turned to face the bus stop. The agent stood out within the crowd of cops and firemen. He was the best dressed man on the block, wearing a standard issue FBI suit that looked far too clean to have ever visited any crime scenes. Kate headed towards him.

"Agent Skinner I presume?" She asked as she extended her hand towards him. He nodded in response, barely pausing to look over his sunglasses at her.

"And you are?"

"Detective Kate Beckett – homicide".

He paused to frown at her now.

"I don't recall asking for homicide. Hostage negotiation, bomb squad, SWAT; all teams that I've asked for lady. Homicide wasn't on that list". He began to turn his back on her and move away.

Beckett turned to stand in his direct line of sight so he could no longer peer past her. She threw her shoulders back, faced him squarely and let him feel the full weight of her cold stare.

"My partner is in that building. I am the best homicide detective in this city. I don't give a damn whether you asked for me or not. I am not leaving this site until my partner is at my side leaving with me. So you can either accept my help or you can get out of my god damn way. Understand?"

He took a step back to look her up and down before raising an eyebrow at her.

"Understood. Welcome to the team, Detective Beckett".


	5. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all the reviews and follows everyone, definitely bringing more Castle joy into my life!_

 _xxxxxx_

 **Chapter Four**

The hostages were all being held in what appeared to be a meeting room. The long, glass table that had been at the centre of the room had been hastily pushed aside. The black plastic chairs had been shoved into corners and the blinds plunged the room into near darkness. A small lamp provided the dim light that Castle used to look around the room. He counted 25 people, himself included, sitting cross legged on the floor. Some appeared to be executives with their thousand dollars suits quickly becoming crumpled. Others were the crew of the set, men and women who had been catapulted from their normal existence and remained huddled together sharing looks filled with unspoken words. The last few people were Castle, Sarah and the other guests that had been lined up for the morning – a lady with a recipe for the best homemade brownies and a vet who could make bionic limbs for animals.

Castle was sat near the front of the group, having been one of the last people to be thrown into the room. He was sure a bruise had formed in the small of his back where one of the men had directed him quite forcefully with his weapon. He closed his eyes to regain his composure but all he could hear were the panicked breaths of the people surrounding him. He opened his eyes again to glance around, his writer's eyes taking in observations; he could see the young make up artist twirling her engagement ring nervously around her finger, he could see the sweat running down the shiny face of one of the executives, and he could see the tension tight like a spring in the body of the camera man.

"So, who forgot to pay the electric bill?" Castle cracked out, his voice sounding tighter than he cared to admit. Some of the hostages retreated back further into themselves, refusing to acknowledge him, others just turned to stare at him, but at least one had a hint of a smile in their eyes and began to visibly relax.

"So, uh, anyone know what's going on?"

"You're the detective, you tell us" the tense camera man retorted. Castle raised an eyebrow.

"Best selling author, actually. Although I am a pretty awesome detective… Detective Castle does have a ring to it. Lieutenant Castle… Captain Castle… Commissioner Castle…" Castle paused, lost in his thoughts for a moment. It was the feeling of tension building back in the room that brought him crashing back to reality.

The ring twiddler in the back, whom Castle remembered as Sally, glanced nervously around the room. She spoke in a hushed whisper.

"You work with the police right? They've got to be able to help us…" Her words caught on the intake of a sob. "You've got to be able to help us?".

It was the fear in her eyes, and the eyes of those around her that caused Castle to answer with such conviction.

"Yes. Yes, I can and they can. I was on the phone to my partner when they caught me, judging from the number of missed calls, she knows what's going down. If anyone can get us out of here, or work themselves to oblivion trying to do so, it's Kate Beckett."

He paused for a moment as a quiet worry clutched at his heart. Who would stop her working herself into the ground if he wasn't there? Who would hold her hand in the darkest hours of the night when the murder board overwhelmed her? Who would bring the hint of a smile to her face with the suggestions of ninjas and assassins? Who would bring her a cup of coffee just to see a smile on her face?

Castle forced himself to stop, his thoughts were turning bleaker and bleaker, he forced himself to think; what would Kate do?

 _The beginning, always start at the beginning_.

"We need to start at the beginning. We need to work out their story, why they're doing this. There's at least four of them, I think the big guy – the Texan – is in charge? Did anyone else notice anything about them?"

He turned to look quickly at the door, whatever the men were doing it was loud work, drowning out the sounds of their conversation to the guard at the door.

"The small guy has limp…" a soft voice called out from the back.

"Brilliant, so far we've got the Texan calling the shots, Limpy supporting him. Any others?"

"The other guy poked me pretty hard with the gun when he forced me in here…"

"Great, the Texan, Limpy and Gun-Happy-Gary. That just leaves one."

The echo of an argument began to fill the room – all the hostages froze. Castle leant forward as far as he dared, angling to overhear the dredges of the conversation.

"We've got the hostages, we know what to do next, let's just make the phone call!"

"Not yet"

"Why not? We don't need to drag this out any longer than necessary. The quicker we make the call, the quicker we get our pay day"

"I said, not yet" the heavy Texan accent made the words sound even harsher, "I've got a better plan."

"Look, we all know what we agreed to. Take the hostages, make the drop, get our money, be on our way. Stick to the plan!"

"If you think I'm going to miss this opportunity, pass up on a fucking gold mine, you'd be wrong"

The other voice was becoming desperate now, stumbling over his words as he tried to convince the Texan.

"We agreed to just take Jack – I don't need this shit man! One last job, then I'm out. Don't screw it up!"

"You're either in, or you're out. Your choice but I ain't letting that moneybag walk out of here until my pockets are frickin' golden. Last chance…"

"Out… I'm out. You're way out of control"

"Your choice" the Texan's voice didn't waver once, not as he pulled back the hammer, not as the click from the gun reached the ears of the arguing man, not as the gunshot echoed throughout the studio, and not even when the body crashed into the floor.

"Anyone else got an issue?" The Texan's question was met with silence, "Good".

Castle leaned back, is heart pounding quickly in his chest to the point he could feel his pulse vibrating through his ears. He was definitely in over his head.

"I guess we call that guy dead…" he turned to face the other hostages again, "So who has the misfortune of being Jack?".

The executive with the shiny face slowly raised a hand, sweat had soaked his white shirt through and caused his blonde hair to stick to his forehead.

"That would be me".

Castle looked him up and down, the face before him not even registering a glimpse of recognition in his mind.

"And what would they want with you?"


	6. Chapter 5

_Thanks so much for reading, the follows and the reviews! They put a smile on my face, nearly as much as the season 8 renewal ;)_

xxxxxxxxxx

 **Chapter 5**

The midday sun shone down brightly through the thin scattering of clouds. The windows of the Dawnbreak studios reflected the light back, causing sparkling patterns along the sidewalk of the building. All except the fourth floor, where the heavy blinds had shuttered the entire floor into darkness. Kate wished with every fibre of her being that she could see what was happening within the building. Kate pulled her eyes away from the building and back to the harsh lines of Skinner's face. He'd pushed his sunglasses to his forehead as he gave his briefing. His face wasn't animated, it remained in stern lines as he retold his information in quick, emotionless sentences. Kate wished she could kick him in the shin just to get a reaction out of him.

"Official count shows that we have 25 individuals in the building; two Channel 5 executives, around 15 crew members, 5 cast and 3 guests from this morning."

"Do we know anything about the guests? Could it be related to them?" A voice called out from the crowd. Kate turned to see the a detective from the hostage team, holding out his notebook listening intently.

"Mum-blogger- baker called Molly, super vet Dr. Mark and mystery writer Richard Castle"

There was a pause as most of the cops spared a long look at Beckett. Kate bit the inside of her cheek and kept her eyes trained at Skinner's forehead. She couldn't bare to see the looks coming her way, some of sympathy, some of curiosity and some just to stare. She found her hand unconsciously touching the engagement ring she wore on a chain around her neck. The chain where she had kept her mothers' ring. Fear momentarily clutched at her gut that Castle's ring would remain on this chain, that it would become another burden to choke her. Another life she would lose, only this time she might not be able to make it back. This time the darkness might claim her.

"Detective Beckett? Detective Beckett?"

It was the touch of a hand on her shoulder that brought her crashing back out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to sound authoritative having completely missed the question she had been asked.

"I asked if there were any known threats against Mr. Castle?" Skinner's voice was laced with impatience.

"No – no known threats but I'll speak with his family to be sure."

Skinner nodded and began to turn back toward the teams.

"Sir? My team would be happy to look into the hostages, see if any of them could be the target here."

Skinner gave her a curt nod before continuing.

"Hostage team with me, I want to try to make contact. Bomb squad, continue with your search, I want to know if there are any surprises in there. Agent Wesley, contact homeland security, see if there are any terror threats that fit this MO".

As the teams dispersed to their assignments, Kate turned towards Ryan and Espo.

"Okay, can you guys go back to the prescient and look into the hostages. I want to know anything and everything. Long lost sisters, gambling debts, mysterious deaths, sudden inheritances – I want to know".

The boys nodded at her before sharing a look.

"Beckett-"

"I need to call Martha. She's out of town with Alexis, they won't have seen. I need to tell her…tell them…"

"We can take care of that" Ryan's voice was gentle as he placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do that".

She looked up at them with eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Yes I do. I have to. It has to come from me"

"Want us to stay whilst you call?'

"Thanks, but no. I'll be okay. The sooner you get digging the sooner we can start to figure this thing out"

"He's going to be okay, you know?"

Kate pressed her lips together and nodded at them.

"Thanks guys. Call if you find anything. Anything."

"Call us if you need us."

Kate watched the boys walking away, unclenching her hands she took in a deep breath as she pulled out her phone. She looked up one more time at the building as she began to dial.

"Katherine, honey?". The voice on the end of the line called out.

"Martha, hey". She'd planned on keeping her voice steady, in giving Martha the facts, but she couldn't disguise the pain in her voice.

"Katherine, what is it? What's happened? Is it Richard?"

"There was an incident this morning"

"An incident? What kind of incident?"

"Castle was on a breakfast TV show, promoting the book" she paused, dreading the next words that were about to come out her mouth, knowing there was no coming back from this moment. That if some thing did happen to Castle, this would always be the moment where his mothers' life would begin to crack, this would be the epicentre. She would be responsible for this.

"And? Katherine, what happened?!"

"The studio was stormed. Hostages were taken. They took everyone. They took Castle"

The only sound on the end of the phone was silence. Kate waited, hearing her own heartbeat echoing in her ears.

"Martha?"

"Oh, Katherine" the voice that spoke now sounded frail, as though life had been instantly drained from it.

"I'm at the scene now. We're all here, the FBI, the hostage team, we're doing everything we can. I'm going to get him back Martha, I'm going to get him back."

"Darling, I believe you. Have they – have they made any demands?"

"Nothing yet, we're still trying to establish contact. Martha, I'm going to do everything I can. I'm - I'm so sorry"

"Katherine this is not your fault."

"Alexis" the word was a whisper, a heavy weight hanging over Kate's heart.

"I'll tell her, I'll speak with her. We'll be on the next flight back. Katherine let us know what's happening, okay?"

"Of course"

"And Katherine, keep yourself safe. There's no point in saving him if he loses you in the process"

"I will"

She hung up the phone, her eyes turning to the building again, what she would give to be in there with him… Instead of him. She shook the thoughts from her head, using the hair tie on her wrist, she pulled her hair back off her face. It was time to pull herself together, what good to him was she like this. She pulled her shoulders back, held her head high and let the anger begin to pour through her veins. She was mad, not just mad, pissed off. This was her city, her citizens, her Castle, and no one had the right to come here and take them. This was war. She took one last long glance up at the building before stalking across the road with her phone in her hand.

 _I'm coming for you Castle, I'm coming_.


	7. Chapter 6

_Two updates today! I must be feeling really inspired by the promise of season 8! :)_

xxxxxxxxx

 **Chapter 6**

Kate stood at the back of the truck marked bomb squad. Four men in body armour had entered the building and were assessing the blockades against the studio doors. On the screen of the portable unit resting within the trunk, Captain Jenkins stood monitoring the movements of his men. The men had taken a range of sensors to search for explosives and to test the walls to see if they could drill in fibre optics.

Kate stood hunched over the monitor, her ponytail swinging behind her in the gentle breeze of the afternoon, tension radiated off her whilst she waited for the familiar buzz of the radio. Finally a voice called out.

"Assessments complete, all teams retreating. ETA 5 mins. Over."

"Copy. Over"

Kate turned to give Jenkins a questioning look.

"We won't know anything until they return."

Kate nodded at him, trying to keep the disappointment and impatience out of her face. She turned on her long legs to survey the scene around her. The firemen were still on the scene, awaiting the result of the bomb squads sweep. The police maintained the perimeter as the city's media had now arrived. They stood around the edge of the police line, pointing their cameras up to the building, towards the firemen, and finally towards her.

"Detective Beckett!" They hounded her, "Detective Beckett! Give us an update!"

She turned her back to them and continued to monitor the green dots on the screen as the bomb squad moved slowly back towards her and away from the hostages. As they reached the front door Beckett and Jenkins rushed over to meet them. The men pulled off their helmets and body armour, leaving them on the floor in front of them. Their faces were flushed with heat and sweat streamed down the lines of their warm skin.

"Status?" Jenkins asked. The man at the front shook his head, causing sweat to dance out and rain down down over his shoulders.

"All doors are blocked. All tested positive for C4, we used different scanning equipment but could not determine the trigger mechanism. It could be pressure activated, it could be remote – it could be both."

Jenkins frowned, his face darkening as he nodded in response to the report.

"Any chance for fibre optics?"

"Unlikely. We don't know where exactly the C4 is or the trigger mechanism. It would be too much of a risk."

"Okay. Thank you boys" Jenkins nodded again, as he patted each of the men on the shoulder. He turned to face Beckett, his lips pressed together.

"I'm sorry detective, I know that's not the news you wanted to hear"

"At least we know where we stand" she replied, glancing again at the perimeter. "If that C4 blows, we're going to lose the whole building. We need to push that perimeter back by at least a block"

"Agreed. On it" and with that Jenkins turned and walked away, already calling out commands into his radio.

Kate wiped the thin layer of perspiration that clung to her forehead with the back of her hand, and rubbed it against her leg. Her eyebrow furrowed as she began to plot what to do next, in that same moment her phone began to buzz.

"Beckett"

"Beckett, it's Ryan. How are things down there?"

"Not good. Bomb squad just returned, all the doors are rigged to blow. Can't get a cable in to see either"

"Damn"

"Yeah… Tell me you have something"

"I have something"

The sharpe exhale of Kate's breath filled the line.

"We've run everyone in there and everyone who should be in there. Everyone's come up pretty clean, nothing screaming out or causing alarm."

"Right…"

"However, Martin Lucas did not turn up for work today"

"What do we know about him?"

"We was given his notice 1 week ago, he had a week left in the job. He worked on the crew, moving and preparing sets. He had a number of incidents where mistakes were made. The last one was nearly fatal."

"Bring him in"

Beckett could feel her heart rate increasing, her body was beginning to flood with the familiar thrill of the chase.

"Already sent uni's to his address. It gets better. He was fired by Jack Monroe, one of the executives"

"Also one of the hostages"

Kate's voice was quickening now. She hadn't believed it was about Castle, just that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but now that she knew, she could feel relief flooding through beginning to unclench some of the knots in her stomach.

"Yo!" She could hear Espo call out in the background.

"Hold on, putting you on speaker…. Hey, still hear us?"

"Yeah, still with you, Espo, what've you got?"

"I chased up threats and complaints against the studio over the last three months, there's been dozens of both. In particular, against Jack Monroe. He's had three unfair dismissal complaints from Lucas over the last week, with three more a month for general misconduct and bullying, also from Lucas." He paused for a beat. "There's been anonymous death threats in the last week"

"Death threats?"

"Yeah, listen to this, 'you're going to regret the day you ever came to Channel 5', 'I can't wait to see them report finding your body on that stupid morning show' and yesterday, 'you're going to pay for what you've done, you all are'."

"I want him in interrogation within the hour. We're going to get this jackass. Dig up everything else you can find on Lucas and Monroe. Let me know when you've got him and I'll come down. I want in"

"Got it"

Beckett hung up the phone and began to stride over towards Agent Skinner. Her team had achieved more in the last hour than he had all morning and she couldn't wait to tell him. She then paused, conflicted, if she told Skinner he'd take over, take the arrest, take the interrogation, and possibly screw up the entire operation. She didn't care about getting the arrest, she just cared about getting the hostages out. About getting Castle out.

By the time she reached him she'd made her decision.

"We've got a suspect, my detectives are on their way to bring him in. I'm leading the interrogation. You want in, you can join; you want to watch, you can watch; but this is my suspect, my interrogation and my fiancé in that building. Got it?"

Skinner didn't even raise his sunglasses to meet her steady gaze, he could see the anticipation dancing in her eyes and her body taunt, ready for the upcoming fight. He raised an eyebrow at her as he contemplated her offer. He had the authority to take over the suspect and the interrogation, but he decided her anger could be a useful tool. A useful button to push.

"Deal." He replied simply, turning towards his sleek SUV, when she didn't follow he didn't even glance back at her. "Coming, Detective Beckett?"

Kate took a last look at the building, picturing Castle's face as he sat trapped within the building. She hoped that he was okay, that he was keeping out of trouble. She forgot herself for a moment as she smirked at the bad jokes she could just imagine him making.

"I'll be back for you, I promise" she whispered, before she turned to follow Skinner.

Xxxxxxxxx

Authors note: I know the last two chapters have been Kate heavy, I wanted to return to Castle this chapter, but it would have ended up being a massive chapter! I promise Castle in the next chapter :) please let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 7

_Thanks again for the lovely reviews! Especially Philliesfan_ _whose review I definitely_ _drew on here_ _for the beginning :) extra long chapter here as I just couldn't stop!_

 **Chapter Seven**

The hostages sat in silence, sweat had begun to run down their faces as the temperature within the room rose. Jackets had been abandoned and collars unbuttoned. The body of the unsure man filled the doorway, a pool of crimson surrounded the mans head, the bullet had ripped open his skull and instantly removed the life from the man. Threads from the mask and tufts of hair stuck to the now drying puddle.

The sense of fear within the room had risen to an almost intolerable amount. Once the man named Jack had identified himself. Gun-happy-Gary had returned to the room, pointing the barrel of his weapon into the crowd. No-one had spoken in the twenty minutes since the gunshot had rung out.

Outside the room Castle could hear the buzz of a chopper overhead. He imagined the crowds of the press circling above and below. He thought of his mother and Alexis, waiting with anxious eyes. He thought of Kate. He thought of Kate and his parting words, her promise to him that she would be safe. How ironic that seemed now, that the mundane celebrity part of his life had become the thing that could tear apart their world. Not the hard, gritty world Kate threw herself into everyday; not the murderers, interrogations and gun toting madmen, but this. He could see her in his mind, the way her hair would be pulled back from her face, the was her sleeves would have been hastily pushed up to her elbows, the way she drank another cup of coffee to ignore the hunger clawing at her stomach as she refused to take a break. He could see the worry in her eyes, the way her frown created small creases around her eyes, the way her fingers would unconsciously tug at the chain she wore around her neck. Castle refused to let this be the end, to let himself be the reason she couldn't sleep at night. He turned his head towards the man named Jack. Jack's eyes were still wide with terror, his heart was pounding so heavily Castle could see the vibrations echoing on his shirt.

"Jack" Castle called out in a hushed whisper. The other hostages refused to meet his eyes. He glanced quickly back towards the door, Gun-happy-Gary had retreated back out of the door to talk with the other men, leaving the body as a stark reminder between them and the door.

"Jack" he tried again. This time the man lifted his bloodshot eyes to meet Castle's.

"Jack, who are you?" He asked softly, hoping to understand why the men had been arguing over him.

"I'm… I'm no-one" he replied, his voice shaking with panic.

"Well, for no-one there seem to be three armed men out there arguing about what to do with you, so let's try again. Who are you Jack?"

"I'm… I'm Jack Monroe. I'm an executive at Channel 5. I've only been working here for six months. I…I don't know what this has got to do with me!" His voice flailed wildly with panic again.

"Okay, okay. You've got to calm down. From what I overheard the men were here for you"

"Were?"

"They were arguing. Over whether to take just you or not. Question is, why would anyone want you?"

"I-I-I don't know!" He stammered. He started to gasp for air again as though he were drowning.

"You've got to calm down. Look at me" when the man refused to look at Castle he tried again, his voice harsher.

"Look at me. Okay, now count with me and breathe. One, two, three…"

The man breathed with Castle, counting to ten and back again until the mans breathing slowed.

"Okay, let's try again, why would anyone want you? Do you have a large amount of money? Are you in charge of particular decision? Has anyone threatened you recently?"

At the mention of the word threat, Jack's face paled again.

"Oh god, oh god"

"Jack, breathe!"

"I, I was getting threats. Last week, threats that they were going to kill me!"

"Okay, threats from who?"

"They were anonymous, but I'm sure they were from Martin Lucas"

"Who's Lucas? Is he capable of this?"

"Martin? He's… He's a nobody. He worked on the crew. He nearly killed someone with his rigging, it fell and nearly crushed someone to death. I… I gave him notice, I had to."

"Do you think he could have done this?"

"Hostages? Killing people? I don't… I don't know. But how well do you ever truly know someone?"

Castle nodded, they were making progress. He had a motive, a suspect.

"Is Lucas here?"

Jack's eyes flickered around the room.

"No, no. He didn't show up for work today. Oh god. Is this really because I fired him? Is this really because of me?"

Before Castle could reply a bullet struck the ceiling, causing plaster to rain down on top of them. Short cries came from the hostages, some of them closing their eyes, others beginning to pray.

"Quit your yammering, unless you got a death wish".

Gun-happy-Gary was back, shooting into the ceiling had released some primal reaction in him, his eyes were wide with excitement which seemed to grow as he breathed in the fear that laced the room.

"Change of plan boys" he laughed as he reached down towards Castle and Jack.

Xxxx

Beckett and Skinner had reached the precinct quickly, they now stood behind the observation window studying the figure that was Martin Lucas. Lucas was a small man, barley tipping in at 5ft 5, he had pale pasty skin that was now perspiring quickly. His eyes were small and rodent like, dancing nervously around he room. He had long fingers that tapped quickly against the metal of the interrogation table. He was nothing like Beckett had expected.

Skinner and Beckett didn't speak as they entered the interrogation room. Beckett sat on the hard chair opposite Lucas whilst Skinner leant back against the wall. Beckett laid down her folder and began to line up her evidence photos in front of her. She lined up the death threats, the complaints, the photo of Jack Monroe and the photo of the masked man on the TV screen.

"Martin Lucas. Can you confirm for the recording that you've been read your rights and have waived your right to an attorney" Kate's voice held no inflection, it was as hard and flat as her eyes.

Lucas nodded, causing a drop of sweat to splash upon the table.

"You need to speak. For the record, Lucas" the sentence was almost a sigh, as though she were dealing with a moron. It caused Lucas to tense up, clenching and unclenching his fingers.

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" Beckett barked at him.

"Yes- yes I've waived my rights" he stammered. Beckett paused to study him, he didn't seem capable of the hostage scene downtown. He barley seemed capable of remaining upright in the chair.

"What…what's this about?" He asked, trying to keep his voice nonchalant – it was the tremors that gave him away.

"What's this about? This is about the twenty five hostages you have down at the Channel 5 studios. This is about the gunmen you sent to raid that building."

"I don't, I don't kn-"

Beckett cut him off.

"Don't give me that bullshit. If you have the balls to take twenty five hostages, then you have the balls to sit in my house and tell me the damn truth."

Lucas sat in silence now. His eyes flicking between the hard face of Beckett and the silent brooding figure of Skinner.

"I don't need your confession, Lucas. I have men searching your house now, going through your computers, your bank records. We have your death threats and we're going to find the paper trail you left arranging this attack. Do you know why?"

She was on a roll now, the words falling out as quick, sharp attacks on Lucas. Lucas remained silent, unable to remove his eyes from Kate's as sweat began to course faster down his face.

"It's because you're a moron. And morons always leave a paper trail. Did you think we wouldn't find out about Monroe? That he fired you? That you threatened him?"

She paused only long enough to look down at the screen of her phone that had lit up.

"That your brother was military? That there's $25,000 missing from your bank account?"

Kate watched the blood drain from his face, the information from Espo and Ryan had come at the perfect moment. She could almost hear the walls crashing in around him.

"I… I think I want my lawyer now" he squeaked out. Then Skinner was on him. He pounced so quickly that Lucas was lifted from his chair, he was pinned against the wall, his feet flailing uselessly beneath him.

"You listen to me" Skinner didn't need to scream, his voice was a quiet rage. "You paid for men to take twenty five people. For men to kill and maim and torture. All because your boss was mean to you?! You are pathetic. A pathetic waste of space, and when I'm done with you, you will never see the light of day again. I will push for the death penalty. Twenty five counts of murder one."

"No, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! They were just supposed to take Jack!" Skinner's hands were on Lucas's throat now, his thumbs dancing over his wind pipe in a silent threat.

"Skinner! Put him down!" Kate pulled on the back of Skinner's arm, trying to drag him off Lucas as the colour began to drain from his face.

"Stay out of this Beckett" he growled. "Twenty five counts of murder. Twenty five"

"No, no! I only wanted Jack! They were only supposed to take Jack! I can't… I can't breathe!"

"Give me their names" his hands were still around his throat, Lucas was digging his nails into Skinner's hands as his feet kicked against the wall behind him. Beckett was still clawing at his arms, trying to pull him back.

"Skinner! Not like this!"

"Their names"

"I don't know their names!"

"How do you contact them?"

"I had a phone, but… But they won't answer me. I couldn't get them to listen to me, they said-"

He was gasping for air now, like a drowning man. His pupils had become pinpricks as his eyes danced wildly around he room.

"Skinner!" Beckett had pulled her weapon now, she pushed the nuzzle against the back of his neck. "You are choking him!"

Skinner turned and back handed her across the face, she went flying back into the interrogation table, blood pouring from her face. She heard the gun as it skittered across the room.

"What did they say?" Skinner was screaming now, his face and neck red with the anger that surged through him as his fingers tightened around Lucas's neck.

"Please, oh god, please. He said he didn't care what I wanted, he said he had a new plan, he said he was going to-"

Lucas's words trailed off as he began to foam at the mouth and his body began to seize. Skinner continued to shake him.

"Lucas! Damn it, tell me"

Blood ran out of his nose and onto Skinner's hand. The blood seemed to break the spell that was holding Skinner. He let go of the man and watched as he crumpled to the floor. He turned to face Kate. Her eyes were wide, blood ran down her face and stained her clothes. She held a hand to her mouth.

"What have you done!".


	9. Chapter 8

_Thanks so much for all the views, favs and reviews! They mean the world to me :) enjoy!_

 _xxxxxxxx_

 **Chapter Eight**

Kate stared wide eyed across the the room at Skinner, all she could hear was the ringing in her ears as her body reacted to the violence before her. Lucas lay sprawled out on the floor, his body seizing as foam leaked from his mouth. Skinner sat beside him, his head pressed back against the wall, as he stared up to the ceiling.

"What have you done?" It was a disbelieving whisper. Kate staggered across the room to look down at Lucas, his body had now stopped seizing and lay there still. She turned on Skinner

"You've killed him!" As she looked at Lucas, his eyes still and glassy, she felt something within herself break. She jumped on Skinner, her hands gripping his lapels as she shook him.

"He was going to tell us, he was going to tell us! Now we'll never know, oh god, oh god" she continued to shake him, her hands forming small fists that pounded into his chest.

"You've killed him" this time she wasn't taking about Lucas.

Espo and Ryan broke into the room, their shouts and calls for an EMT didn't permeate Kate's haze. She sat back on her heels rocking gently as tears streamed down her face, mixing with the blood that stained her skin.

"What the hell happened?" Espo shouted out, checking Lucas for a pulse. Ryan knelt beside Kate.

"Beckett? Beckett what happened?" His voice was sharp, trying to break through to her. She didn't speak, she only raised her hand to point towards Skinner. The rest happened in a daze. The EMTs carrying off Lucas on a stretcher, searching for a pulse before beginning CPR, Espo roughing up Skinner as he picked him off the floor and hauled him down to Gates' office.

Beckett stood up slowly from the floor, her legs shaking beneath her as she tried to control the thoughts that ran through her head. She staggered out of the room, leaning against the wall gasping for air.

"Detective Beckett, my office, now!" Gates shouted down the hallway behind her. Kate didn't turn around. She stayed where she was, fighting the sobs that threatened to over take her body.

"Detective Beckett, you need to tell me what the hell happened in there!"

Kate kept her hand against the wall, the only thing keeping her upright as she moved further along, heading towards the ladies bathroom.

"Beckett! If you walk out of here, consider it your badge."

Kate couldn't hear her over the ringing in her ears. She reached the door and fell through it, landing heavily on her knees. She sat with her back to the door, ignoring the pounding on the other side as sobs wrecked her body.

Her mind flashed with images as she pressed her hands over her ears.

"No, no…please" she whimpered.

She saw Castle in her mind, his hair gloriously ruffled, she saw Skinner's fingers turning white as he crushed Lucas's windpipe, she saw the crazed eyes of the masked man, she saw the life drain out of Lucas, she saw the rage in Skinner's eyes as his fist flew towards her face. She saw Castle's face. Every inch of it, every line of it. She saw him holding out the engagement ring to her, his face full of hope and promises, she saw the frown on his face when she worked too hard and too late on a case, she saw the smile that touched his lips as he leaned in to kiss her.

She pulled her knees up to her chest.

"And breathe. One, two, three…" She could hear Castle's voice in her head as she struggled for air.

"Breathe"

She didn't know how long she sat there for before her body became still and her breathing returned to near normal. It doesn't matter, she told herself, you can still save him, save them all. The reason has changed but the facts are the same. She pulled herself up and looked into the mirror. Her lip had split where Skinner had hit her, her bottom lip was purple and swollen, she touched it, wincing as she did. Her eyebrow was cut quite deeply where her head had met the corner of the interrogation table. She grabbed some paper towels off the counter and pressed them to her head to stop the bleeding. She used the water to wash some of the blood from her face. As soon as she could see her face she saw how pale she was, how broken her eyes looked.

"Damn it" she whispered to herself. "You are Detective Kate Beckett. You can do this."

She took one last steadying breath before she turned back to the door.

She was greeted by chaos. The interrogation room had been taped off, CSU were snapping photos and she could hear the raised voices leaking from Gates' office. The second she stepped out the bathroom the bullpen fell silent, everyone turned to stare at her. She didn't meet anyone's gaze as she walked across the room towards the office. The cream walls of the bullpen were now smudged with Kate's blood, marking her route as she had staggered out earlier.

Beckett opened the door to Gates' office, willing her hands to refrain from shaking as she turned the knob. Within the room stood Gates, she was on speaker phone with the director of the FBI, Internal Affairs and 1PP. She looked around, relieved to see Skinner was not in the room.

"She's just walked in. I'll take her statement and call you back" Gates shut off the phone and gestured to the chair before her desk. Kate sank into it. Gates didn't say a word, she just pushed play on the recording that sat on her desk. Kate looked only at her hands as she listened to the last 10 minutes of her life again.

"Detective Beckett, did Lucas give any reason for Agent Skinner to use force? Any threat heard or unheard?"

"No Sir"

"Is there anything else absent from the record you would like to add?"

"No Sir"

Gates let out a sigh.

"Lucas is in hospital, on life support in a medically induced coma. Skinner is being held in interrogation two. The FBI are coming down to handle it. Internal Affairs will be on the scene shortly and will require your statement. Understand?"

Kate nodded, her fingers twisting over and over.

"You should get someone to take a look at those cuts" Gates' voice softened a touch. Kate pressed the paper towel to her forehead again, before shaking her head.

"Fine then, but Detective Beckett, you are not to leave this building until IA have taken your statement."

"Yes Sir" there was no force behind Kate's voice as she rose from her chair and stepped out of the office. She met the worried eyes of Ryan and Espo from across the room and gestured towards the staircase.

The boys met Kate where the staircase came out at the back of the building.

"Shit Kate, what happened?"

Kate just shook her head.

"He just lost it. Went mental. I tried to stop him but he…. Well you can see. I couldn't stop him and now I think he's killed him."

Ryan reached forward and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry".

She nodded, running her hands through her bloodied hair.

"We've got something"

"What?" Kate looked up at them, trying not to let the desperation show in her eyes.

"We've got the phone Lucas was using for contact"

Kate started to pace where she stood, ignoring the pounding of a headache in her skull and the sting from the cuts on her face.

"So we know that Lucas hired the men to take Jack as revenge for firing him, we know the men have gone rouge and have a new plan. We just need to figure out what that plan is."

Kate's confidence was rising again, maybe it hadn't all been lost. There was still hope.

"We need to get back to the scene and make contact with the kidnappers"

"I thought you were banned from leaving the building?" Ryan asked , glancing around guiltily. She met Ryan's eyes and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm not sticking around. I can't be near this building a minute longer"

Espo nodded at her before handing her back her gun.

"Thought you might need this"

For the first time in hours, Kate smiled.

"Thanks guys"

xxxxxxxxx

Castle looked around him, his head was stinging and he was still seeing spots from where he had been hit in the back of the head. He glanced around and realised he'd been moved. He was no longer in the cramped meeting room with the other hostages. He was now in a larger room that was also plunged into darkness. He could feel that he had tape over his mouth and struggled with the panic that threatened to rise within him. He tried to move his hands and ankles but could feel they were taped to an office chair. He wriggled a little, drawing back on his duck tape experiment for Nikki Heat – it had been much more fun the first time. As he wriggled he noticed he was moving, he was on an office chair with wheels. Only three of the wheels had been locked into place.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realised he wasn't alone. Next to him he could see the outline of another chair with a person trapped within it. He recognised the blonde hair as that of Jack Monroe. None of this made sense. The story didn't make sense. Taking Jack and punishing him made sense. But killing the fourth man, taking all the hostages and tying up himself…it didn't add up. Castle strained to listen to the conversation between the men.

"So we're agreed?" The Texan asked.

"Yeah, I'm in"

"Me too"

"Okay, let's do this"

He could hear the men checking their weapons as they walked over to Castle and Jack.

"Well boys, things are about to get interesting"

Castle watched as the phone in the Texan's hand began to light up, the Texan grinned before hitting speaker phone. He cocked his pistol and held it to Castle's head as a warning.

"Hello?"

Kate. He could hear Kate. Relief flooded his senses, his entire body clenching in anticipation at hearing her voice. Kate, Kate, Kate. She was here.

"Afternoon sweetheart"

"I'm not your sweetheart. I'm your worst nightmare"

Castle could picture her now, her face set into serious lines as her body filled with tension, ready for the fight. The Texan released a deep belly laugh.

"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea who you are talking to"

"Neither do you. Why don't you tell me?"

The Texan laughed again.

"Ladies first"

"Detective Beckett"

A smile touched The Texan's lips as he turned to face Castle. He stroked the side of Castle's face with his gun.

"Worried about your fiancé, Kate?" He taunted her. Castle could hear her breath catch and willed her to know he was okay.

"I'm on to you. I have Martin Lucas in custody. We know about Jack Monroe. He's told me everything. It's over."

The Texan laughed again, this time cackling as his laughter bellowed out.

"Oh Detective Beckett, how little you know. Who do you want? Jack Monroe or Richard Castle?"

When she didn't answer immediately he continued.

"Five hostages or Richard Castle? You think this is about Jack Monroe. You're so wrong. You'll see"

He cut the phone off, shoving it back into his pocket as he pulled out two black bags. He put one over each mans head as they both struggled against their bindings. The Texan stood behind them.

"Eenie meenie, miney mo. Which jackass should I throw?"

With that he turned and kicked the back of one of the chairs, sending the chair flying through the glass and crashing out of the window. It was met with screams below.


	10. Chapter 9

_Thanks so much for the reads and reviews, sorry about the cliffhanger, it just slipped out! It seems we have lots to celebrate today; Stana signing on to season 8 & that fab finale! :) :)_

Xxxxxx

 **Chapter Nine**

The sound of shattering glass caused Kate to look up, the glass rained down over the sidewalk as a man strapped to a chair came flying out the window. Beckett covered her mouth with her hand as the crowd around her screamed. As she turned to run towards where the chair had landed, a dark stain spread across the concrete.

Espo and Ryan grabbed Kate by the elbow.

"Don't go, don't look" Ryan begged her, worried about how much more she could take, if it was Castle, it would destroy her. Kate shook her head.

"I have to know. I have to know…" Her voice was so soft it was barely audible. She walked the short distance towards the body, each step feeling like a lead weight was pulling her down. Ryan and Espo flanked her on either side, ready to protect her from whatever she might find ahead.

The body had impacted heavily with the pavement. Where the head should have been was now just a mound of tissue, with pieces of skin and tufts of hair littering the ground. Kate dragged in a breath that half ended on a sob.

"Beckett, you don't have to do this" Ryan murmured gently in her ear.

"Yes, I do"

Kate looked down at the body before her feet, she studied the curve of his chest, the lines upon his hands and the clothes that covered his skin.

"It's not him, it's not him". Relief flooded through her body making her light headed, it was quickly followed by the crashing wave of guilt for the moment of joy she had felt.

Ryan and Espo shared a quick look.

"How can you tell?"

"It's not him. Not his body, his clothes, his hands. It's not him"

She pulled out her phone, running her hands through her hair again.

"Lanie. Lanie, I need you" the voice sounded like that of a child.

"Oh girl, are you okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah I'm keeping it together. Just"

"Oh sweetie"

"There's a body. They threw a hostage out the window…"

Lanie's moment of silence was as meaningful as the question she wanted to ask, as Kate trailed off.

"It's not him. I'm sure it's not him. But I need you to confirm it. Can you confirm it?" The last part of her sentence sounded like a plea.

"I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can Kate"

"Thanks"

Espo turned to face Kate.

"I'll text it in to Gates. If she asks, I won't mention you"

Kate gave him a small smile.

"It's okay, you don't have to lie to protect me"

Espo snorted.

"Family sticks together"

Kate stood staring up at the building again. She looked at the smashed window, studying the jagged edges and wishing she could see inside. The touch of a soft hand on her arm pulled her from her thoughts, she turned round and was pulled into a hug by Lanie. She stood there, resisting for just a moment before melting into the hug. It was as though the longer she held onto Lanie the less likely she was to fall apart. When they pulled apart, Lanie squeezed her hand.

"You ready for this?"

Kate nodded. She watched as Lanie knelt next to the body, swabbing the blood and taking fingerprints from the broken hands.

"I'm going to run the blood type – quickest way to check if it's Castle."

Lanie passed the fingerprints to Espo who headed over to the FBI truck to run them. The wait felt eternal before Lanie turned to Kate with a gentle smile.

"It's not his blood type. It's not him"

Kate let out a breath that she felt she'd been holding in forever. The second the breath left her body, she heard a voice that caused her to choke in air again.

"Dad? Daddy?"

Kate turned towards the cries and saw Alexis being restrained by an officer. Her long hair flowed behind her as her body choked with sobs. Kate ran over to her.

"Alexis, no, Alexis" Kate grabbed Alexis by the shoulders.

"Is he... Is it...?"

"It's not him, okay? It's not him!" She willed Alexis to look into her eyes and see the truth. Alexis' eyes darted wildly between the body, Kate's bruises and Martha's troubled face, the pools of water that filled them overflowed and began to course down her face.

"Oh, darling" Martha pulled Alexis to her in a hug and held her as a mother would. Kate looked at the two women embracing.

"I'll give you a minute"

"No, Katherine please. What's going on?"

Kate gave them a brief outline of what had happened, leaving out the details of Skinner choking Lucas and her breakdown in the bathroom.

"I don't understand" Alexis sounded so small and lost, like the child she no longer was. "If it's about this other guy, then why do they have Dad? Why are they killing people?"

Kate took Alexis' hand in hers.

"I don't know yet. But I promise you, I'm going to get him out of there"

Martha opened her mouth to speak but the words were lost as the phone in Beckett's pocket began to ring. She glanced at it before calling out.

"Espo, Ryan! It's him."

They raced towards her as she hit speaker phone. She gestured to Martha and Alexis to remain silent.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kate. Like my present?"

"I prefer shoes"

"Funny. So you want Richard back?"

 _Yes. Yes, yes yes_ , she screamed inside her head.

"I want them all. Alive. I don't appreciate the mess you've made on my sidewalk"

"You want him back, you've got to pay"

Kate looked up at Martha who nodded quickly.

"Not without proof of life"

"Nice little family reunion you've got going on down there"

"Proof of life. For everyone"

Kate held her breath as silence came from the other end of the phone.

Xxxxxx

Castle gasped for fresh air as the bag was removed from his head, his lungs burned as he blinked quickly. He felt the push of the gun to his forehead and a phone being pressed to his ear as the tape was torn from across his mouth.

"Don't be stupid" the Texan warned. He nodded in response.

"Hello?" He called weakly into the phone.

"Rick" the voice was a flood of relief attacking his senses.

"Kate, Kate!"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He could hear her holding back tears, he could hear the tremble she was trying to control within her voice.

"I'm okay. God, Kate, I-"

The butt of the pistol collided with his scalp causing him to sink back into the darkness. As he passed out he could have sworn he heard her voice calling him back, but the darkness was too much. It overwhelmed him and took him.


	11. Chapter 10

_Thank you all, always ;)_

xxxxx

 **Chapter Ten**

"Castle? Castle?" Kate called into the phone, her heart quickened as she gained no response and the echo of a grunt escaping his mouth reverberated through her mind.

"That's all you get" the Texan was back.

Alexis turned to Kate, her fingers sinking into her forearm.

"What happened! What did they do to him?" Alexis sobbed, clawing towards the phone. Kate turned away from her, turned the phone off speaker and stalked across the sidewalk.

"What do you want?" Kate's voice was dark and low.

The Texan let out a soft chuckle.

"I've not decided how much I want yet, but whilst I am, I want you to make a decision"

"What decision"

"You can have ten hostages…."

Kate held her breath.

"Or Richard Castle. You have five minutes to decide." With that the Texan hung up the phone.

Kate dropped to sit on the edge of the kerb, her hands pressed to her eyes as she tried to block out the decision swirling within her mind. She looked up to see the worried faces of Martha and Alexis watching the building. Behind the police line she could see the anguished faces belonging to the families of the hostages. When she looked up again, Captain Gates was standing before her. Beckett stood up instantly, seeing the apologetic faces of Ryan and Espo behind her.

"Detective Beckett, what part of 'do not leave the precinct' did you not understand?"

"I'm sorry Sir, but the gunmen called me. I had to be here…"

Gates stared Kate down, studying the tension between her eyes and the phone in her hand.

"IA still need your statement. Lucas has died. They need to access all the evidence to decide whether the death was preventable. Whether there should be a manslaughter or murder charge brought forward to the district attorney."

Kate took a deep breath, touching her fingers gently to the wound above her eye again as the images of the violent confrontation flashed through her mind.

"I will, but I've had further contact. They've got Castle and they want us to pay"

"Pay what?"

"They've not decided yet, but in the meantime he said I have a choice to make. He knows who I am. He wants me to choose between releasing ten hostages or releasing Castle"

Gates raised an eyebrow at her.

"I have five minutes to decide"

Gates looked at her and nodded.

"I'll give you three"

Gates turned and walked over to a group of men in suits, from what Kate could tell they were the assistant director of the FBI, IA and the commissioner.

Whatever choice Kate made, she wasn't sure she could live with it.

Xxxx

Gates briefed the men in the latest developments, explaining the decision the gunmen had left Kate with. The array of men showed no compassion.

"Why is she being allowed to deliberate this?"

"It's a judgement call. Hostages always come before police consultants"

Gates looked between the men before her, she knew they were right but she also knew Detective Beckett.

"We have to let her reach the decision on her own"

"Why? I think, as her Captain, you should go and demand she requests the hostages."

Gates shook her head at them.

"She is my Detective. I trust her judgement and I know she will make the right choice. She has to be allowed to make this decision herself."

As she turned to walk back towards Beckett, Ryan stopped her, his eyes full of simmering accusations.

"Why are you letting her make this decision? Hasn't she been through enough?"

"Because I know my detectives. If I force the decision on her and something happens to him, she'll never forgive me. She'll never forgive herself. She'll never be a cop again. This way she still has a sense of control over an uncontrollable situation."

Ryan stepped aside to let Gates pass, her logic making some sort of sense within his mind.

Xxx

Kate paced the sidewalk, with each passing second she could feel the weight of her choice crushing through her chest. She knew the choice she should make, she knew it was her duty to protect and to serve the innocent. But wasn't Castle an innocent? Didn't he deserve to live too? What if she chose the hostages and Castle died, could she live with the knowledge that her choice had killed him? But what if Castle lived and ten innocent people died, could either of them live with that choice?

Kate drew in a deep breath and turned to meet Gates' eyes.

"I know what I have to do"

Gates nodded at her, silently relieved at the choice she would make, regretting the pain her detective would now face.

The phone rang and Kate answered it quickly.

"Have you made a decision?"

"I have"

"So which is it? Who do you want? Ten hostages or Castle?"

The pause that filled the air was heavy with the weight of implications. Kate saw Martha and Alexis approaching her, their eyes full of questions. Kate closed her eyes, her voice was barley a whisper.

"The hostages. I choose the hostages"

The Texan laughed again.

"Poor Mr. Castle" and the phone went dead.

Alexis turned to face Kate, Alexis didn't see the heartbreak in her eyes and the slight tremor of her hand.

"What did that mean? What do you mean you choose the hostages? Did you have a choice? Did you not pick Dad?" Alexis was shouting her now, her own fear presenting itself as anger.

"I had to"

"No you didn't, you didn't have to! You could have picked Dad! You could have saved him…. This…. This is all your fault!" Alexis turned and walked away, her hands covering her face as tears streamed down them.

Kate gasped for air.

"Katherine" Martha placed a hand on her arm. "This is not your fault, she's upset. It was a very difficult choice to have made and I know Richard would have wanted you to make that choice. No matter how hard it is, know that he's proud of you"

Kate pressed her lips together and brushed away tears with the back of her hands.

"Thank you Martha" it was barely a whisper. Martha nodded before turning to follow Alexis.

Espo squeezed her arm.

"SWAT have got men on the door, ready to seize the hostages and ready to breach if there's a chance"

"Okay. Let's do this"

They headed towards the doors to the building to wait. They didn't have to wait long before they heard footsteps descending the stairs. The SWAT team readied their weapons, preparing for the worst. It seemed everyone held their breath as the doors open. Out stepped ten, unharmed hostages, their hands held up in surrender as they stared down the guns with wide eyes.

It was over within a matter of minutes. The hostages were taken to waiting ambulances to be checked, SWAT teams climbed the stairs to find the doors still barricaded and the phone from the gunmen remained silent.

Kate turned out towards the street, the sun was starting to set over the City causing a dusty haze along the road. As the last rays of sun touched the ground before turning into darkness, Kate twisted the rings on the chain around her neck. It broke her to leave Castle in there, to choose her duty before her heart. She looked at the darkness beginning to sweep in and hoped the night would bring a resolution to this nightmare.


	12. Chapter 11

Thanks as always :)

xxx

 **Chapter Eleven**

As the night descended around her, there was nothing Kate could do except wait. The warm air of the evening had faded and now a chill nipped at her bare arms as she rubbed her hands up and down them. The FBI were running voice recognition software on the Texan, using all their data bases. SWAT continued to sweep the building and study the blueprints searching for a weakness they could exploit or a way in. Lanie had taken the body of Jack back to the morgue to be formally identified and to search for trace evidence. Espo and Ryan had travelled to the hospital to take statements from the witnesses. Martha had convinced Alexis to go home and wait with her, in case they called with a demand.

Kate was alone. She felt the heavy weight of the phone in her pocket, her heart aching as she wished it to ring.

Xxx

Inside the building, Castle began to come round. His head was pounding and his memories hazy. He blinked heavily only to find the darkness didn't fade, the bag had been replaced over his head. He strained to hear anything around him, but the only sound he heard was silence. His mouth was dry as he licked his lips and he tried not to think about a cool glass of water. His stomach had begun to rumble and he found he was squirming due to his full bladder. He tried to put all of it out of his mind and just to focus on what had happened. To find the story.

 _They stormed the studio because they wanted Jack,_ he thought to himself. _They took Jack, but they took me too. Now Jack is presumably dead and they still have me. What has this got to do with me? What about the other hostages? What did the Texan say to Kate?_

Kate.

Just the thought of her name caused his heart to quicken. The sound of the fear in her voice had broken him, even as she had tried to hide it. He could picture her in his mind now, her eyes tired and her face drawn with worry. The way she would be pushing her hair behind her ear to create an extra wall to defend her mask. The way she would be insisting that she was fine. He knew she wasn't fine, he just wished that someone else would see it, would reach out to her before she broke.

There was nothing Castle could do now except wait.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, Castle couldn't tell in the endless darkness that encompassed him. As the bag was pulled off his head, his eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light around him. The Texan knelt before him, his head leaning sideways and his pistol swinging around his finger.

"Wakey, wakey" the Texan called. Castle met his eyes and held them only for a moment before looking away. What he saw chilled his blood. The Texan's eyes lacked any normal expression; love, compassion or sincerity. All that his gaze contained was excitement and lunacy.

"If you stopped knocking me out you wouldn't have to keep waking me" Castle muttered, twisting his hands to test his restraints. He could feel the bite of the tape digging into his wrists.

The Texan snorted with laughter.

"I had a nice chat with your lady"

Castle froze at the mention of Kate, his hands stilled and his heart quickened. He didn't respond except to meet the cool gaze of the Texan.

"She's feisty that one. She'll put up a good fight"

"You've got no idea. No idea what you're up against. She won't rest, she won't eat, she won't sleep until she's put you down"

"Oh, I'm quaking in my boots"

"You'd better because she will hunt you down like the dog you are."

The laughter that had been dancing in the Texan's eyes vanished suddenly, then he had a knife in his hand. He ran the blade down Castle's cheek – everything within Castle clenched as he forced himself not to react.

"I would love to take you apart, piece by piece and ship you to her in little boxes"

The Texan's self control had disappeared, his eyes danced wildly as he rubbed the blood from the blade between his fingers.

"To smear this whole room with every ounce of your worthless blood"

He pocketed the knife again, his smile back on his lips, his sanity momentarily regained.

"But that's the problem, isn't it? Your blood isn't worthless. Your blood is worth an awful lot. So that cop can work herself into the ground, and cut her pretty face up over it, and you can sit here bitching and whining about fairness, but at the end of the day you're not getting out of here until someone pays."

Castle stared at him, ignoring the thin stream of blood that ran down his face. He wasn't sure what the feeling surging through him was, but he knew it was stronger than hate. He studied the outline of the mans face behind his mask, imprinting it into his mind, this was going to be a face he never forgot.

The Texan pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it between his hands.

"To call or not to call" the Texan sung. "I know, if you catch, you get to call her!"

The Texan threw the phone at Castle, it collided with his chest and scattered along the floor.

"Oh… Guess you can't want to talk to her that badly"

He laughed again to himself as Castle watched him warily.

"Hmm, what's the fun in calling now? Let's give her a bit longer to stew. She did have some tough decisions to make this evening"

Castle's eyes flashed up.

"What do you mean?"

"Poor Detective Beckett had to make a judgement call. Looked like it hurt her pretty bad" the Texan taunted again.

"If you hurt her-" Castle snapped out, unable to restrain himself.

The Texan walked closer and leaned over Castle. Without a word he squeezed the cut on his cheek, watching as Castle's blood ran down his hand.

"Then you'll what?" He whispered into his face. Castle held his gaze only for a moment before looking down at his restrained hands.

"Exactly" and with that the Texan left the room.

Castle looked around the darkened room again, letting out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding in. His head throbbed and his cheek stung. For the first time since this ordeal had begun, he felt real gut-wrenching fear. Fear for what was happening to Kate. Fear for his own life. Fear that he wouldn't be able to keep his promises to her, that always would be cut tragically short.


	13. Chapter 12

_Thanks to those who enjoyed the last chapter – sorry to those who felt it was getting a bit long winded, I wanted a short moment of calm, catching up with Castle, because I knew this chapter was going to be long :)_

 _xxx_

 **Chapter Twelve**

Kate was standing beneath the glittering moonlight when the SWAT captain called her over.

"We've studied the blueprints and we think we've found a way in"

Kate looked up at him, barley daring to hope.

"What have you found?"

"There's a set of ventilation shafts that run through the building, we might be able to access them from another floor, travel up to the fourth and drop through"

"What about the explosives?"

"There's a risk the vents could be rigged, but we'll take sensors to scan for explosives as we go"

Kate looked the captain dead in the eye.

"I want in"

He held her gaze, studying her features as he did. He nodded.

"I'll need a team on the ground, ready to enter as soon as we've breached and secured the explosives"

"I'll get my equipment ready" as she turned to walk towards her car, she looked back over her shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks"

The captain nodded in response before turning to brief his men.

Five minutes later Kate appeared at the back of the group, she had her bullet proof vest strapped on, the weapon was ready in her holster and her back up piece was clipped her to ankle. She listened to the instructions as she impatiently glanced up to the darkness of the building.

"Explosives Team A will enter the ventilation shaft from the third floor. They will scan the area for explosives. If any traces are detected the operation will be terminated. The first priority, once they're in, is to secure the gunmen and the trigger mechanism. We do not want those explosives going off. Explosives Team B will follow – they are to find the explosives and render them safe. Once the explosives are clear the ground team will enter from the north stairwell, their goal is to secure the hostages and detain the gunmen. Does everyone understand their role?"

A chorus of affirmations and nods passed through the crowd of officers. Kate looked around at the sea of people before her, all of them ready and willing to end this, like her. She knew she was part of the ground team and moved to join the officers she would be working with. As soon as introductions had been made, it was go time. Explosive Teams A and B disappeared into the building, with the ground team waiting in the north stairwell. Kate and her team stood waiting, straining to listen to the static of the radio, waiting for their command to breach. Kate felt her heart beating with anticipation and dread. She hoped that within the end of the next hour she would be back home, with Castle. With everything and everyone back where they belonged.

"Vents are clear – no explosives. We're moving along and will be over the fourth floor in two minutes"

"Confirmed" control called back. Kate began to flex her muscles and she waited. All they had to do was find the gunmen, disarm the explosives and then she could enter. Then she could find them. Find him.

The door before the ground team clicked open, Kate shared a worried glance with her team as they all raised their weapons. The radios had been silent since breaching the fourth floor. They had no idea what had been happening.

The door swung open and she was greeted with the sight of the lead of the Team B explosive squad.

"What's the situation?" Kate asked in a low whisper.

"The building is clear. We can't find the gunman. We've disarmed the explosives on the north and south stairwell, but the east had already been disarmed"

Kate felt her heart freeze within her chest.

"And the hostages?" It was as though her entire life balanced on that question.

"They're in the conference room at the end off the hall"

"Are they okay?"

"No one appears harmed"

A soft breath whistled out between Kate's teeth.

"Ground team, we need to clear this floor."

The team split in two and began to search the rooms of the building, shouts of 'clear' echoed throughout. The whole time Kate was counting in her head, the seconds and the heartbeats until she got to see his face again.

The teams worked towards the conference room, clearing all other rooms on the route.

"All rooms are clear" Kate called into her radio.

"Confirmed" control called back. Kate threw open the conference room door, her eyes anxiously searching through the tired faces before her.

She couldn't see him. She couldn't see his face. She could feel the panic rising up through her, threatening to overwhelm her.

"Castle?" The word was a whisper, a prayer.

Her eyes continued to scan, she began to softly sway.

"Castle?" This time her call was louder – she was unable to keep the fear from it.

"They took him" it was a quiet voice, a voice that sounded worn and exhausted. Kate met the woman's eyes – she recognised her as Sarah Hargreaves.

"Hours ago… At least I think it was hours. They kept him in a different room, with someone called Monroe"

Kate nodded at her.

"Thank you"

She turned from the room, refusing to acknowledge the pounding fear in her chest. She began to search every room.

"Beckett?" One of the SWAT teams called out.

"We're missing a hostage. Castle was separated from them, he's in here somewhere. He might be concealed, search everywhere"

The men began returning to the other rooms to help her look. The only sound that filled the empty rooms was the sound of Kate's footfall and her calls for Castle.

"Beckett, in here"

Kate turned and ran towards the voice. The sinking feeling in her stomach started to fade and she began to chide herself for believing the worst. She turned into the room calling out,

"Oh god Castle, I thought-"

She couldn't see him.

"Detective Beckett, we're so sorry"

She looked around them to see an empty chair. The chair had tear marks along the duct tape that now flapped uselessly on the arms. Underneath the chair a pool of blood shimmered.

"No, Castle, no" she choked, touching her fingers to the floor around the edge of the puddle as she fell to her knees.

The team around her took a step back, one of them reached down to touch her shoulder.

"Beckett…"

She didn't respond. She just sat back on her heels staring blankly ahead at the scene before her. He had been here. And now he was gone.

Kate didn't move until CSU appeared behind her,

"We're going to swab the blood to confirm identity. We'll also sweep for prints and hopefully get a hit in the gunmen"

Kate looked up at them surprised, she wasn't sure how much time had passed.

"The hostages?" She asked quietly.

"All fourteen of them have been taken to the hospital as a precaution"

Kate stood slowly, taking in one last long look at the empty chair before her. She turned and walked out of the room, the smell of the blood causing her head to ache. She ignored the words and calls of the people around her and walked until she reached her car. She sat behind the wheel, willing her trembling hands to remain still until she arrived home.

Kate stood outside the door of the loft, she put her keys in the door and turned them quietly. She hadn't called Martha or Alexis and she couldn't deal with seeing them now. She shut the door softly behind her and tiptoed across the room. When she closed the bedroom door behind her she began to feel the wall around her crashing down.

She crashed onto his side of the bed, pushing her face into his pillow, inhaling his scent. Her sobs were muffled by the pillow as she held it to her face. Holding his pillow and breathing him in, she cried herself into exhaustion. Sleep eventually claimed her.

Xxx

Castle awoke with a start. He flexed his fingers, they were no longer tied down, instead they were cuffed together behind his back with a plastic zip tie. He no longer had a bag over his head and could feel where the blood had dried down his neck from his cheek. He blinked heavily and looked around, he was lying on the floor of what appeared to be a van. He could feel the vibration of the engine through the floor and every time they turned a corner he rolled across the short space. Castle shuffled down the van, fighting the turns and corners until he reached the doors. He turned around and tried to open them with his fingers. He touched the handle, tugging it quickly. It was locked, he turned again and was thrown quickly against the doors. He sat back on his hands this time and kicked at the door. He kicked and kicked as through his life depended on it.

Xxxxxx

AN: you'll be pleased to know I fought everything within myself so that this didn't end in a cliff hanger ;)


	14. Chapter 13

_Sorry for the delay, real life caught up with me and demanded to be acknowledged!_

Xxx

 **Chapter Thirteen**

Castle continued to kick at the door lock, having no sense of the passing of time except for the frantic pounding of his heartbeat. His toes were now bruised and bloodied, his knees sending shooting pains up his legs and the wounds on his head reemerged from their dull ache to a screeching pain. But he didn't give up. He knew this might be his only chance, the only way he was going to survive this nightmare. So he raised his feet again and continued to kick, praying to any God that luck would finally be on his side.

When Castle heard the click give from the door, he did not believe it. He was convinced it was the sound of one of his aching joints giving out. Blinking the sweat out of his eyes, he raised his feet to kick again and this time the door swung open. Castle was immediately blasted with the sounds of New York City, with the smells of the busy streets and the shining of the moon beneath the clouds. Castle glanced over his shoulder, nearly laughing out deliriously before he caught himself. He scooted closer to the edge of the truck and looked down. The road was a passing blur of grey asphalt, the street lights creating lines in the sky where they passed so quickly. He wondered if the jump would kill him, as he paused to reflect, he realised that staying in this van would certainly kill him.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he allowed his mind to fill with Kate's face. If this was his last moment, he wanted it to be filled with her. To be filled with the joy of knowing her, the warmth of her smile, the sound of her laughter, the feeling of her lips pressed against his as though it were all that sustained them. His heartbeat slowed and he felt almost at peace. Then he jumped.

There was a brief moment of free fall, where he felt weightless and free, his mind filled with Kate's beautiful face. For a split second, he believed he had jumped and landed in heaven. Then he collided with the pavement.

His left kneecap and shoulder took most of the force of his fall, the pain seared through him, like no other he had ever known. His body then began to roll, the momentum of his fall forcing him down; he rolled, rolling over and over again on his shattered kneecap. He could feel the sharp teeth of the road tearing at his skin, biting through his clothes and burning him. When he finally stilled he was on his back, staring up at the glittering night stars. It was a beautiful night. He felt as though he could feel the entire universe above him winking down.

He could have laid there forever, watching the mystery of the world passing by but he forced himself to sit up. He tried to hold in his anguished cry as he attempted standing. The pain was so much that he fell straight back onto his bottom. He tried again, this time leaving his injured knee as a dead weight beneath him. His hands were still tied behind his back as he began to hobble down the road, his left leg dragging along helplessly behind him.

He looked around frantically until he could see a car ahead, a dark Volvo cruising slowly down the street. In the same instant he heard the squeal of tyres behind him. He only allowed himself one glance back over his shoulder, what he saw terrified him. The van was turning around and heading towards him.

His hobble turned into a half run, he lumbered forwards towards the Volvo, oblivious to the amount of blood soaking through his clothes.

"Please! Please stop!" He called out to the Volvo. It was too far away to hear him, the stereo blaring as the driver sang along. Castle moved directly into its lane of traffic, so there was no way the driver could miss him.

"Stop! You need to stop!" Castle screamed now, desperation leaking out of him as the van neared him.

The Volvo driver finally saw him and slammed on the brakes, the driver rolled down his window.

"Dude, what happened?!"

"Please… Please… You have to help me. They're coming, they're coming now!"

The driver looked at the man before him, the gash on his cheek, the blood soaking through his clothes, the panic in his voice and the exhaustion in his eyes.

He kicked his door open.

"Thank you, thank you so much"

Castle turned to duck into the passenger seat, every muscle within his body protesting as he fell back into the seat. He turned to rearrange his injured leg and felt the warm liquid splash across his face before he registered the gunshot. He looked up to see the shattered windscreen, the hole in the forehead of the passerby and the blood pooling into the car.

"No…no" it was a broken whisper.

The Texan was at the window.

"Going somewhere Rick?" His eyes danced, Castle could still smell the gun shot residue on the gun he waved about.

Castle held his eyes for barely a moment before his head drop forward, his eyes closing. This mans death was on him now. A man had died for him. A man had died for nothing.

Moments later the Texan had kicked the mans body out of the car, he'd bundled Castle into the back where he now sat sandwiched between Limpy and Gun Happy Gary. Gary sat with a pistol in his lap aimed straight at Castle, his face screamed just dare me. Castle looked ahead through the shattered windscreen, hoping to see something familiar. When nothing registered, he began to count streetlights, the numbers giving him something to focus on that wasn't pain and wasn't death.

Xxx

Kate slept for around four hours. Her sleep was broken, filled with images of Castle. She gasped awake as the sun was beginning to overpower the moon, the soft morning light began to fade the nightmares in her mind of Castle dying in her mother's alley. There was a few seconds of bliss before she was properly awake, when she believed Castle's kidnapping had been another nightmare and she would just roll over to find him there, looking lazily at her with those eyes. But he wasn't there; the bed was still empty.

She sat up in the vast bed, the sheets tangled in her clothes as she picked up his pillow. She held her face to it and inhaled his scent, it filled every inch of her, touching even the darkest corners of her soul. She rested her chin on top of it as she hugged it to her chest, the scent beginning an uncontrollable cascade of memories to rush through her. The feel of his strong arms holding her, the morning cup of coffee with a careful heart, the slow smile that spread over his face when he saw her for the first time each morning, the way he ran his toes up her calf to check she was still really there and the life sustaining kiss he would give her.

Kate closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before swinging her legs out of the bed. She took a quick, hot shower, counting in her head the number of hours since she'd last seen him, since they'd last stood in this room as she teased him about his hair. It was too many.

As Kate got dressed she paused her hands over Castle's drawers, her fingers danced along the handles as she debated in her mind. In the end her need for comfort won and she pulled out one of his long sleeved purple shirts. She buttoned his shirt over her body, rolling up the sleeves as she inhaled his scent and tucked the long ends into her trousers. It was one more layer of armour to protect her from the day ahead.

She shook out her messy hair before giving up and tying it back in a loose ponytail. As soon as she moved tendrils escaped and danced around her face. Then her phone buzzed.

"Beckett"

"Detective Beckett, we have a suspected homicide on the corner of 12th and 3rd street"

"A homicide? No, I'm working the Dawnbreak case"

"We have reason to believe the cases are linked."

Her heart stopped for a moment, she took a deep breath, forgetting about his shirt until the scent flooded her nostrils and acted like a drug upon her body.

"The body?" She barely dared to ask.

"African American male, late twenties"

The guilt hit her again when relief flooded through her body.

"On my way"

She straightened her collar, taking one last hit of him from the pillow before heading towards the door. Today was the day. Today she was going to get him back, she could feel it in her bones.


	15. Chapter 14

_I'm so sorry for the massive delay, I have one very good excuse for it though; OFSTED!_

Xxx

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Kate arrived at the crime scene within twenty minutes, as she drove across the city the sun had continued to rise and now the soft glow of the morning cloaked the streets. Most of the block had been shut off and she could see the flashing blue lights as she approached, so she parked her car at the side of the road and continued her journey on foot. She ducked underneath the yellow crime scene tape and nodded to the officer maintaining the boundary.

Kate paused to survey the scene ahead, the van stood abandoned at the far end of the road, she could see the blood trail that snaked down the road, culminating at the pile of shattered glass that glinted near the body. Kate walked down the road taking it all in, pausing as she reached the body that lay abandoned on the side of the road. Next to the body Lanie was already at work.

"Hey Lanie, what we got?" Her voice was quiet in the morning air. Lanie looked up at her, surprise filling her eyes before being quickly replaced with concern. She stood up, reaching out her arms.

"Kate. How are you holding up?" She spoke softly, concern covering each word. Kate gave her a thin smile.

"I'm doing okay. Every new piece of evidence is one step closer to getting him back, right? Gives us another piece of the story"

Lanie nodded at her.

"Well then, I think I've got a whole chapter for you here. Let's start with the van"

Lanie led Kate down the road towards the van, the street was filled with the silence of the early morning except for their footsteps. When Kate reached the van she paused, the doors were dented from heavy kicking, and the blood stains started a few metres down the road from here. Lanie held up a small evidence bag.

"We found this in the back of the van"

Kate took the bag and looked at it, it was a black leather wallet open to the drivers license. She gasped in a breath as she saw Castle's face, her eyes instantly darted up to meet Lanie's.

"He was here?"

As the words left her mouth her head turned as she strained to search the street with her eyes. Lanie laid a hand on her arm.

"It looks like he was being transported in this van-"

Kate cut her off.

"And the kick marks… He got the door open. He got out of the van!"

Hope was begin to rush through her, flooding her senses and quickening her heart.

"I had uniforms search the area as soon as I found it" she paused to look at Kate, "he's not here."

Kate frowned at her.

"We know he got out of the van, that's where the blood trail starts."

"He was hurt?" The excitement had faded from her voice now, the relief had abandoned her as quickly as it had flooded in, leaving her sounding small and lost again.

"I think he jumped from the van whilst it was moving. The blood trail continues down the street. I'm testing the blood type to check"

Kate nodded, moving away from the van and following the blood marks down the road like a map.

"They lead all the way to the body"

Lanie nodded again.

"The glass and tyre marks suggest it was a carjacking. I think the vic was helping Castle and something went wrong. I estimate TOD as two hours ago."

Lanie squeezed Kate's arm again as she absorbed the scene.

"I feel like every time we take a step forward, we're already too late"

"It's like you said, we're finding the next page in the book"

A uniformed officer approached Kate as Lanie turned back to continue her examination of the body.

"Detective Beckett? The witness found the body 30 minutes ago and called it in whilst walking his dog. There's also two surveillance cameras angled this way from a nearby building"

"Thanks. Get the footage and have it sent down to the precinct"

The uniform nodded quickly in response and set off down the road.

Kate pulled out her phone to update Espo and Ryan as she walked back towards her car. She wanted to view the security footage; she needed to view the footage. Even if it was only for a tiny, grainy glimpse of him.

Xxx

It had taken forty minutes for the security footage to reach the precinct, but now it had been uploaded to the computer and was loading, as an impatient Kate sat before the screen, her fingers dancing along the keyboard.

Espo and Ryan stood behind her, each watching over one of her shoulders as she leaned forward toward the screen. She fast forwarded through hours of footage, slowing the tape only when the van appeared. She felt her entire body tense as she watched the events before her.

The van doors burst open and swung precariously, she leaned forward further, until her nose was practically touching the screen. Then she saw him. She saw his head poke out he back of the van, she saw the decision waver across his face, then just as he had, she held her breath as she watched him dive out of the van.

She let out an involuntary cry as his body collided heavily with the pavement and as he continue to careen down the road. Her hands clenched on the screen as he lay still in the road, in her mind she remembered the blood pool.

"Please get up. Please get up." She thought over and over again. The words had felt like a thought, but she had been whispering them aloud. Ryan laid a hand upon her shoulder.

Then he moved. She watched as he tried to stand up, but wrecked by pain he fell back again. A lone tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. She then heard his voice as he limped heavily down the street, it was a voice she was afraid she would never hear again.

"Stop! Please stop!"

His voice sounded hollow and broken to her ears, it caused another droplet to run down her face. She watched as the Good Samaritan stopped to help Castle, as he climbed into the car next to him.

The gunshot caused a gentle squeak to escape her mouth, as the mans body hit the curb and the Texan climbed in the car. Her eyes never left Castle's face as he was squeezed into the back of the Volvo and they disappeared down the road until he was barely a dot. Until he disappeared from her again.

Nobody in the room spoke, afraid to shatter the spell that had fallen over Kate. Her hand was still touching the screen where Castle's face had been and her teeth were sunk into her bottom lip.

After a few beats Ryan spoke.

"Kate…"

"He's alive. At least we know he's alive" she was speaking more to herself than the others, a gentle reassurance. She pulled her hand from the screen and quickly brushed at her tears.

"Espo, I want you to find the car. We have a clear image, plates and description. Use traffic cams to follow its route. They may have changed cars but we we can follow their journey. We need to find that car."

She took in another deep breath.

"Ryan, I want you to work with the FBI to find the kidnappers. They're getting sloppy, we have their faces now. Use every resource they have. I want to know everything about them, from their childhood best friend to their brand of toothpaste. I want them."

The guys nodded at her, pausing to search her face once more. They only took a moment before seeming satisfied with what they saw there, then they turned to begin their work.

Kate was feeling stronger now, these were the most promising leads they'd had yet, the story still had holes but was beginning to make sense. She could feel solid ground returning beneath her feet.

Before she left the room she rewound the video once more and paused it where his face shot out of the back of the van. She studied his features, the cut that ran down his cheek and the tension around his eyes. Her fingers fluttered across the screen, touching his pixelated face. With her other hand she gathered a handful of his shirt and pulled it towards her nose, drawing in a deep breath until her last flutters of uncertainty faded away. She could do this.

Xxx

The journey for Castle was barely a memory. The white hot pain from his shattered kneecap was causing spots in his vision, every time he felt he was going to pass out the barrel of the gun was pushed into his face, forcefully reminding him to remain conscious.

They abandoned the car, the shattered windscreen and bullet hole causing it to become too conspicuous to be useful.

"We continue on foot" the Texan growled. The other men protested.

"Just take another car! We'll draw more attention like this, especially with the state he's in" Limpy argued, gesturing towards Castle.

Castle could hear the tension in the Texan's voice, all composure had left his voice, he now spoke in a series of short, angry bursts.

"Who's in charge?" The Texan pointed the gun at Limpy, sweat running down his temple as his eyes continued to dance from side to side. Castle watched Limpy swallow heavily.

"You are… I'm just saying-"

"Well stop fucking saying and start walking"

He let off a warning shot into the air.

Castle could feel the situation deteriorating rapidly around him as the two men shared a look before grabbing Castle's arms and forcing him to walk forward. Castle clenched his teeth and whistled in air through the pain as he dragged his leg along behind him.

The Texan glanced back, his gun trained on all three of them.

"In here" he ordered, as he gestured into a nearby building. Castle allowed himself to be led into the building as he couldn't help but wonder, who would crack first? Him or the Texan?


	16. Chapter 15

_Thanks for reading and the reviews :) Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions!_

Xxx

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Kate listened to the rushed tones of Ryan's voice echoing through the phone as she paced the short length of the bullpen.

"The witnesses have all been released from the hospital, their statements weren't much use. It seemed the men wore masks within the building so the only description we got was of a Texan accent and a limp. The FBI have been running these details against known offenders, but it was just too broad to pop anything."

Kate nodded along as she paced before she realised the nod was silent.

"Makes sense"

"However we're now running those details along with the faces from the security footage. There were no prints at the first scene, they must have been gloved and masked, but CSU got prints from the van. Running those now too."

"What about the escape?"

Kate was writing the key details of Ryan's report up on the murder board, her writing forming neat lines of blocked lettering.

"There was another vent kicked out, one that wasn't used in the breach. CSU followed it, it goes on quite a way but comes out in a nearby building. From there they could have easily reached the underground parking lot and just driven out of there."

Kate's mouth formed around a harsh utterance, they had monitored Dawnbreak's parking lot, but not the surrounding buildings.

"So we're beginning to piece together how they did it, we know the why. All we need now is to figure out what next. They have Castle, but they've made no demands. It makes no sense. Why would they start out gloved and masked, but now be revealing their faces and leaving prints wherever they go?"

Ryan met her with silence. He couldn't answer any of the questions she was asking.

Kate thanked him before hanging up the phone, the case was gathering momentum but it still seemed as soon as she answered one of her questions, she was met with ten more.

In her pocket she could still feel the heavy weight of the kidnappers phone, she pulled it out, brushing at the screen with her fingers. As she hit redial she felt her heart rate quicken. She was met instantly with the automated voicemail service – the phone had been off since their last conversation, meaning she was still unable to trace it.

She turned on her heels to find Espo, hopefully he was having more luck using the car to find a location.

Xxx

The building Castle was in had clearly been abandoned a number of years ago. A thick layer of dust coated all the surfaces and the boarded windows let in only thin streams of light. Castle's arms ached heavily from still being pinned behind his back, but at least he was in a chair now, allowing his injured leg to rest momentarily. He could feel that the blood that had soaked through his shirt was now dry and caused his shirt to creak every time he moved. He kept his eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness as he listened to the heated debate spilling in from the next room.

"What's the plan now, Derek?" One of the men shouted. "Shit. This was supposed to be a simple revenge job, this is getting way out of hand"

"Don't use my name" the bark of the Texan snapped out as the sound of his fist colliding with bone echoed through the room. Castle swallowed heavily.

"Why? Why not? They've already seen our faces, they've probably got our prints. There's no way out!"

"Calm the fuck down" he growled, the tight control in his voice had now fled, he sounded like a man who was clinging on to the edge of sanity.

"What's the plan?" Castle recognised the voice as Gun Happy Gary. He still sounded methodical and in control – Castle wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"The plan's the same. We make the ransom demand, collect the money, get the hell out of here."

"It won't work" Gary now spoke in a calm, factual manner. "They've seen our faces. It won't be long until they know who we are, know what we are and they come to take us down. I say we call this a busted op and make a break for it while we still can."

"No" the word snarled out the Texan's mouth, he was now fighting for panted breaths. "I'm not leaving moneybags here. We get our money, we get out. We stick to the plan."

Castle heard the cocking of the gun that threatened all three men into silence.

"You don't look so great…" He heard the shaky voice of the panicked man.

"I'm fine… I'm fine, just need some air" and with that Castle heard the back door open. Silence followed as did footsteps that came past to check on him, they swiftly returned to the other room.

"I'm getting out" the voice was reasoned and well measured.

"What?"

"I'm not sticking around to go to jail over this. I'm here as a favour and for the money. I give the cops four hours tops. Maybe six. Depends how incompetent they are. But I know I'm going to be long gone before they get here."

A weighted silence filled the air.

"He's losing it, you can see it. He's hasn't even got control over himself, let alone the situation. I'm out. You coming with?"

There was no expectation on the question, it just stood as an open offer.

"Yeah… Yeah you're right. I'll come with"

""Okay, wait for my signal"

With that, Castle heard the back door open again. Silence filled the room to the point they only thing Castle could hear were his own thoughts, wondering what would happen if he was left alone to the Texan. He didn't like the answer he could hear.

Xxx

Kate was at her desk, thumbing through witness accounts, searching for anything that seemed out of place, when Ryan burst through the door.

"We've got him" it was a triumphant shout across the bullpen. Kate pushed up from her chair, the force causing it to wheel across the room, but she didn't care. Kate's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Derek Mathews, forty one, born and raised in Texas. Photo ID and finger prints are a match. He's served time for assault, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery and is a suspect in several homicides. He was dishonourably discharged from the army, the file's closed and no one is saying why. He did, however, serve with Martin Lucas's brother"

Kate was up and moving, unable to remain still as the pieces began to fall together.

"The other two men are known to run with Mathews in the past. Samuel Wren, identified as the man with the limp, main talent is breaking and entering. Third man is Frank Quan, served at the same time as Mathews, but worked specifically with explosives."

"We've got them"

She grinned at Ryan, it wasn't a smile that touched her eyes, more the grin of a tigress before pouncing in for the kill.

"I want an APB on all those men. I want every cop, every media outlet and every security guard to have a copy of their faces, along with details of the car and of Castle. They're not going to hide in my city any longer"

Ryan turned, pulling his phone out to arrange the media coverage.

"Check with Espo, see if he's managed to narrow down a direction, a likely area of the city, then get every uniformed officer you can to start a search"

"On it"

Kate could feel the adrenaline coursing through her body now, she was coming after them and there was no where to hide. The heavy phone in her pocket began to ring. She snapped her fingers at a nearby detective, indicating to trace the call. She opened the phone and let her confidence reach her voice.

"Hello, Derek"

She was met with a stunned silence.


	17. Chapter 16

_I had so much fun writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!_

Xxx

 **Chapter Sixteen**

Kate could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears as she waited for a response, the cop in her knew she needed to push Derek, to start to take the power away from him, but the other part of her, the heart of her, feared her actions could have dire consequences for Castle. She held her breath, convincing herself to trust her instincts as she waited.

The phone line crackled before Kate heard a voice respond.

"So Detective Beckett, you've done some homework" his voice still held the self assured arrogance from before, but Kate could tell he'd been shaken. His attitude wasn't quite as convincing as before and his words now held an edge of almost panic.

"I have. So Derek, tell me, how's Samuel and Frank?"

There was another pause at the end of the line.

"I thought you'd be more interested in Richard" he replied, he may have lost some of his confidence but he still knew how to get to Kate. Kate held in her breath, subconsciously counting to ten as an internal debate warred within her. Her police training told her not to rise to the bait but every instinct within her body yearned for her to ask about him.

Kate waited him out.

"Well, Kate, I can tell you he's not looking good. Quite a tumble he took out the back of that van, lost a lot of blood and this leg isn't looking great"

Kate listened as footsteps echoed down the line, she heard a soft groan and every muscle in her body tensed, it was followed by a sharp exhale and what sounded like a whimper.

"Nope, leg definitely isn't looking great"

"Now it's your turn to listen to me, Derek. I'm sick of wasting my time chasing you across town whilst you play your little games. I know who you are. What you look like. Where you'll run to and don't think for a second that I'm not already on your ass. There's no point in you hiding anymore because I'm coming for you and I will take you down"

Kate was standing now, her voice was had gone from strength to strength, and echoed through the halls of the precinct. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and had been drawn to her, to watch her, to gather their own strength from her convictions.

She raised her eyes to stare at Ryan who had taken over running the trace, he flashed her two fingers; he needed more time.

"You sound confident, Kate" Derek replied, his voice sounding weak in comparison to Kate's.

"You can count on that, jackass. What's your plan?"

"I want money"

"Money?" Kate repeated.

"I want $5 million"

Kate could hear the control slipping away from Derek as she turned to face Ryan who flashed her one finger this time.

"$5 million?" Kate asked nonplussed, buying her time.

"$5 million for your boyfriend"

Ryan gave Kate a thumbs up just as Espo burst through the doors waving a piece of paper.

"I'll need an hour… To raise the funds" Kate tried to keep the confidence out of her voice and to play the game.

"$5 mill"

She could hear the fevered excitement returning to his voice, no idea of the trap that was being set around him. Before she hung up she took one last risk.

"If the bank is going to give me the money, I need proof of life" she forced her voice to wobble.

She waited, hoping she hadn't stepped too far, her fingers now curled against her legs. She heard footsteps again followed by a rustling.

"Kate?" His voice held a dream like quality, as though he'd left reality and was somewhere deep within his mind.

"Rick" the word was a breath, "Hold on, babe. I'm coming to get you".

Then he was gone.

"An hour"

The phone cut off and Kate turned to face her team, fighting the panic that had begun to breed within her stomach at the sound of his voice.

"Tell me we got him?" She leant across her desk, her fingertips flat against the wood, her face terrifying in its determination.

"We got him"

Her fingers clenched into small victory fists as her eyes flashed with resolve.

"Then let's go get him".

They moved towards the door, Ryan explaining the location from his trace and Espo using the traffic cam shots he had been working on all afternoon. They jumped into Kate's car, their bullet proof vests encasing their bodies. Kate grabbed the wheel; this was it.

Xxx

Castle couldn't be sure if he'd dreamt her or not. In the last hour she'd visited his mind so many times he couldn't tell the fiction from the reality. Exhaustion had crowded in over the pain and he slipped in and out of consciousness. He would have thought that perhaps he'd died, but the pulsating pain in his knee reminded him that he was alive.

There was something different about her voice that time though, when she visited him in his mind she was always soft and smiling, tender fingers caressing his face. This time her voice had been hard, he'd been able to hear the wild edge of desperation on it. Perhaps it was real, perhaps she really was coming to get him now.

He forced his eyes open, counting to ten before he could close them again, if she was coming then he needed to be ready. He lost count before he could keep them open for longer than a minute, but he managed it eventually. His eyesight was still blurred, his head throbbing whenever he tried to focus, but he managed to squint around the room. His hands were still behind his back but he realised his legs weren't tied, he was still sitting in the chair where they'd abandoned him upon arrival. He'd made no attempt to move and his unconscious state had meant the men could focus on their argument instead. He strained to listen, relieved when he could still hear.

"Five mill, she's sorting it now. We'll take the money, shoot her, shoot him, hell, shoot the whole shitting lot of them and be out of here" the Texas drawl sounded delirious, Castle could hear the ragged breathing and the fast pace of his footsteps going round and round.

The other men remained silent and Castle could hear their voices floating around his memory; they were going to leave. Castle experimentally moved one foot, if they were going to leave it would provide the perfect cover for his escape. His good leg still moved, his shoe sliding easily along the floor before him. He tried his injured leg, his hands clenching behind his back as he fought the scream forming on his lips. He stopped to pant in the dusty air and looked down - he'd moved both feet, only millimetres, but still movement. He could do this. Now he only needed to bide his time.

Xxx

The convoy charged across the city, their flashing lights clearing their way, their sirens silenced as not to state their arrival. Kate's car led the way with the rest of her squad and the FBI following in her wake. On the way to the cars it had been an argument, the FBI wanting to lead the raid, but Kate did not relent and in the end they agreed to join forces, the steely determination in Kate's eyes lessening none.

The buildings passed in a coloured blur as they came closer and closer towards the building.

Xxx

Castle had heard the gentle click of the door furthest from him closing, he'd heard two sets of footsteps escaping the building and knew his chance was coming. The Texan had missed the sound, the kitchen filled with the sound of his own feet pacing. It only took the Texan minutes before he came to look for the men, Castle feigned unconsciousness as he heard the Texan begin to search the building, calling out their names, moving away from him.

Castle gathered every ounce of strength he had left and surged forward. His injured knee gave out from underneath him instantly and he collapsed onto the floor. His ragged breaths helped him fight the pain and he used his hands to drag himself across the room, heading towards the back door. His leg dragged heavily along behind him but he could find no way to lessen the noise he was creating, so he continued to crawl faster and faster until every muscle in his body was screaming out in pain.

Xxx

The cars screeched to a halt outside the building, Kate squinted down the street at two figures disappearing into the distance. Over her shoulder she shouted to the FBI,

"Get them!"

Then she turned towards the building. Kate entered high and Espo low, they turned to sweep the short entrance hall and the array of rooms that led off. She tipped her head to the left indicating to Espo as the rest of the team took the other doorways, they entered in the same stance but this time Kate froze. Before her lay an empty chair, from the chair a pathway of blood led towards another room. From where she stood she could see through the next doorway to where the kitchen door hung open, at the base of the door she saw a shoe resting on the threshold.

"Castle!" She screamed his name, the word echoing through the building as she turned and raced towards him, his blood staining the soles of her boots.

"Beckett! You need to clear the room! Beckett!" Espo ran behind her, his gun pulled and trained on the corners, but she'd already turned into the room and was outside the door, his words lost on her.

"Castle!" He lay before her, collapsed in the alley behind the kitchen, his foot stuck on the doorway ledge and his face resting against the pavement. His skin was smeared with a mix of dried and fresh blood.

Her fingers danced across his face, a loose curl tickling his face as she leaned in to press her ear against his mouth. She was rewarded with the warmth of his breath.

"Rick, can you hear me? Rick?" Her voice was a whisper, tears now fell freely down her face as she begged him to wake up. Then she felt his fingertips pressing into her wrist.

"Kate… You came" His voice was weak, barely a whisper, but it caused a sob to escape Kate's mouth, a smile teetering at the edges.

"Always".


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

A movement at the edge of the alley caught Kate's eye, it caused a long shadow to move across her line of sight, squinting closer Kate could see footsteps marked faintly in blood.

"Espo" she called out over her shoulder, he appeared behind her, weapon still drawn and anger glinting in his eyes. She couldn't meet his eyes. She knew her actions had endangered them all.

"Movement at the end of the alley" her voice was quiet now as she rose from Castle, her weapon trained before her. Espo began to move down the thin space, glancing back over his shoulder at Kate.

"Beckett?"

She took one last look at Castle, unconsciousness had now claimed him and it hurt her heart to leave him again. She blinked the tears from her eyes and turned to face Espo.

"I've got your back".

They moved in tandem down the alley, moving softly as not to make a sound, their weapons leading their way. At the end of the alley there was a fork, they both held their breath, straining to listen for footsteps, they were met with only silence. As they turned to split Espo gave her one last assessing glance.

"I've got this" she muttered, her hands were steady on her weapon, her eyes now clear as she faced down the alley. They separated, each taking slow steps through the maze of alleys, their weapons now pointed to the ground in case they stumbled upon each other. It felt to Kate as though she'd been sweeping the alley for hours, but in reality they had only arrived at the abandoned house a few minutes ago. The sounds of the nearby sirens and approaching cars filled her senses, blocking her mind. She took a deep breath, forcing her mind to block out the surplus sounds and trusting her instincts. She met another turn in the alley, from behind her she could hear heavy footsteps; she knew the backup would have now finished searching the house and would soon flood the alley in support.

Kate turned into the alley, a fresh pool of blood glistened at the end, she raised her weapon, clearing the corners before she approached. The blood was in a stable pool, the droplets around the edge had no directionality. Her instincts screamed at her to flee, as she turned she heard the unmistakeable snap of a mouse trap. She froze, turning her head slowly to see the pin from a grenade being dangled before her.

"So Detective Beckett, we meet at last".

Kate kept her weapon pointed ahead of her, aiming for the broad chest of the Texan. His shirt was slick with perspiration, his eyes feral as he stared into her.

"Derek, I presume?" She kept her voice calm as she glanced at her surroundings, trying to gauge the height of the wall behind her. She could tell instantly it would be too high for her to climb, her eyes fell instead to the garbage container that rested against the wall.

"I bet you think you're so clever" his arm was twitching uncontrollably, the canister within his hand shaking with each movement. Kate stared hard at the object in his hand, her mind flashing through a mental slideshow of explosives. His hand covered most of the device meaning she couldn't identify it; she didn't know how harmless or how deadly it could be.

Kate heard the footsteps and shouts from behind Derek, she could see Espo over his shoulder, his gun pointed towards Derek's back.

"Espo" she used every ounce of willpower within her to stop her voice from shaking. "You need to clear the area".

She watched Espo's brow pull together in confusion.

"He has a device in his hand. You need to clear the area" her voice was clear now, the commands coming naturally to her.

"Device? What kind of device?"

"I don't know, I just know it had a pin"

"Stop it!" The Texan screamed now, "Stop it!"

Kate kept her eyes on Espo and nodded softly to him, she watched him swallow heavily before signalling to the men around him to clear out. Espo's eyes never left her face as he stepped back around the corner.

"They've gone. It's okay" Kate tried to sound soothing but the twitches had started to spread down Derek's other arm. From where Kate stood she could see the shadow of Espo in the alley and knew he remained in position around the corner. She returned her attention to Derek, trying to remember the advice from the hostage negotiator at the bank all those years ago. Keep them calm. Keep them in control.

"You're in control here Derek. You get to decide what you want to happen."

"Put down the gun"

Kate kept it trained on his heart.

"I can't do that. Think about your choices, if you let that go, you'll go down with it too"

His eyes flitted back to his own shaking hand, the pin glinting on the floor of the alley.

"It doesn't have to end that way Derek, you can still get out of here"

"So you can send me to jail?" He gave a short laugh.

"You'll be alive"

"And what kind of life is that?"

Kate could sense the control slipping from him again, his fingers darted over the edges of the device. Kate began measuring the distance from her to the garbage cans and wondered if she could survive the blast from an incendiary grenade. In her heart she knew the answer; she needed to talk him down.

"You must have something to live for. Family, friends, lovers" his eyes were vacant now as she spoke to him.

"A pet?" She refused to let the desperation leak into her voice. She could hear the squawk of walkie talkies over the wall and fought to keep her body still.

"Derek, look at me" his eyes remained vacant, elsewhere. "Look at me, damn it" she barked. He raised his eyes, appearing almost serene as he stared her down. The sudden calmness that had fallen over him caused every instinct in Kate to scream, she braced her body, ready to dive.

"It's been a pleasure" he flashed a smile at her, it was he calmest he had been since they'd first spoken days ago. Then he opened his hand and threw the device. The moment he began to uncurl his fingers Kate sprinted towards the garbage containers, she knew she had three seconds minimum to get to cover. She dived behind the containers with such force that her head slammed into the brick wall of the alley, momentarily dazing her as she curled her body into a ball, her hands protecting her head.

As the canister hit the floor a blinding light filled the alley, it burned through Kate's hands and eyelids causing her to see an intense whiteness. The sound that followed echoed in her ears to the point she couldn't even hear her own laboured breathing. She felt dizzy as all her senses screamed, unable to work out which way was up, Kate fell to her side, her body rocking in reaction to the flash bang.

Espo had dived for cover the second he saw the device drop, the wall of the alley had provided adequate cover so that the effects of the flash grenade on him were minimal. He dived into the alley where the Texan had incapacitated himself. He lay on the floor howling, his words about incendiaries lost between his screams. Espo let the back up cuff him as he ran down the alley towards Beckett.

She lay on the floor, deafened and blinded. She didn't hear Espo calling her name, nor did she see him coming. She didn't know he was there until she felt his hands on her arms, pulling her up.

"Beckett!" He shouted at her. Her eyes remained squeezed shut, her body shaking in reaction to the blast. He picked her up as easily as a doll and carried her from the alley, the whole time her voice was screaming a name that she couldn't hear.

"Castle!".


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Espo carried Kate back through the winding alleys, stopping only when her limp form began to fight him. He paused, not wanting to struggle against her, before slowly lowering her to her feet. He stood with a hand on either arm waiting to catch her if she fell. Kate was still gently swaying, her eyes blinking heavily against the dots she was still seeing. Her sight was returning and she could see Espo's worried face peering into her, his face pulled into hard lines. The ringing in Kate's ears meant she was struggling to hear so she squinted her eyes and watched Espo's lips carefully.

"What happened?" She asked, unaware that she was shouting.

"He threw a flash bang, he thought it was an incendiary. You were lucky, Beckett."

She held his eyes, pretending she was unable to hear his final words and the meaning in them. The effects of the flash bang meant she was unable to stand straight, her feet catching her every time she swayed too far in one direction, Espo's hand helping to right her. She looked around at where she was, her eyes straining to focus before her. They were back at the kitchen door, where the blood stain marked the floor, where she had left Castle.

"Castle?" She asked, her voice hitching as she glanced back to Espo.

"The EMTs took him, he should be on his way to the hospital."

Kate nodded at him, the movement causing the pain throbbing within her head to move precariously towards a migraine.

"You should get to an EMT too." He said, leaving her eyes to look meaningfully at her forehead. Kate looked at him, confused.

"I'm okay." Her hands moved up her face to gingerly feel at her forehead. Her eyes creased with surprise when she found them pull back covered in blood.

"You hit your head pretty hard."

She frowned, struggling to remember through the blinding lights and the pounding in her skull.

"Come on." Espo began to lead her gently back through the house. She resisted against him only for a moment.

"What about Derek?" She asked.

"Ryan has him. Don't worry Beckett, he's going down."

Kate let herself be led towards the EMTs, at least they would take her on an express route to Castle, she told herself as she sank onto the thin stretcher in the back of the ambulance. As they shone lights into her eyes, testing her reactions, she told herself she was only doing this to get to him; she knew she'd be fine. By the time they'd reached the hospital her head had been butterfly stripped together, the EMTs told her she would need stitches to keep the wound closed and she'd regain her full hearing and balance within twenty fours hours. Kate thanked them and stepped out of the ambulance, stumbling like a drunk woman before they forced her into a wheelchair.

They wheeled Kate to the ER first, ignoring her protests and leaving her in a small cubical to wait for stitches. She considered standing up and sneaking out to find Castle, but the second she'd tried to stand she found she couldn't remain upright and fell back onto the bed. It didn't take long for a nurse to come and clean the wound, Kate wincing against the sting of the antiseptic before they began to sew her skin closed. They spoke to her again about her hearing and balance, and how if they didn't return within twenty four hours she was to return to the hospital. They didn't stop until Kate looked up at them, her eyes wide with exhaustion and tears wobbling on the brink.

"Please let me see him".

They helped Kate's weary form back into the wheelchair and began to wheel her through the hospital to where he was being treated. Kate couldn't tell the difference between the pounding in her heart and the pounding in her skull as she moved towards him, anticipation building. As they parked her outside a private room, a doctor paused to speak with her.

"Is he okay?" She asked, her eyes wide with worry, her voice still above a normal speaking volume. The doctor took care to speak loudly so she could hear him.

"Richard is suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, which we expected. He received several blows to the head and is mildly concussed. He has severe abrasions on his arms and legs which have been treated. The cut on his face should heal. The worst of it is his knee, the cap has been shattered. He will need surgery to correctly realign the bones however this can wait until he's in a more suitable condition."

Kate took in the news, nodding as the doctor spoke to her.

"Can I see him?" She spoke like a child, her voice small and uncertain. Instead of an answer, the doctor opened the door and wheeled her in, shutting it softly behind him as he left. Kate took in his long form, he lay under the sheets, his tired face looking peaceful, lost in sleep. A small bag dripped fluids back into his arm as his other arm lay out open next to him. She wheeled over to him.

"Castle?" She called out. He snored gently in response. Just seeing him again overwhelmed her, she pressed her hand into his, wishing she could just crawl into him and disappear.

"Rick?" She ran her fingers down his unharmed cheek, being careful to keep her touch light. He remained lost in slumber. Kate could feel her own eyes burning, the effects of the last few days overwhelming her senses as she watched him before her. She stood slowly, fighting the roiling within her stomach as the room moved with her, taking a few steps before falling onto the edge of his bed. She raised her legs against his uninjured one, before lowering herself against him so they were face to face. She pressed her forehead against his, breathing in his scent before lowering her head to his shoulder. She placed one hand carefully over his heart, reassuring herself that his chest was still rising and falling. Unconsciously, he moved the hand that was behind her, gathering her close as though they were asleep at home. Ignoring the ringing in her ears, Kate listened to his shallow breathing, letting the sound lull her into sleep.

Thirty minutes later Martha and Alexis arrived at the hospital, Espo having called them to break the news that he'd been found. They listened to the same report from the doctor before opening the door to the room, their hands clenched together as worry fought the relief they were feeling. They both burst through the door, ready to throw themselves at Castle, but they were frozen by the sight before them. Castle and Kate lay deep in slumber, their limbs entwined and Kate's head still resting on his chest. They both looked beaten, bloodied and shattered by their experiences, yet the ghost of a smile lingered on both of their mouths through their slumber.

Alexis stepped forward, reaching out to wake her father but Martha took her hand, stopping her with a small shake of her head. Alexis turned to look at her, confused.

"Leave them." She spoke softly, afraid of waking them, a smile teetering on her own mouth. Alexis frowned, wanting to argue the point but Martha just shook her head again.

"Let them have this. They need this. They deserve this. Come on, kiddo." She took Alexis' hand and began to sweep her out of the room. "We have him back. There'll be more than enough time later." With that, the door swung closed again, leaving Kate and Castle in their embrace.

When Kate awoke, hours later, she was met by a pair of familiar eyes blinking back at her. She studied those eyes, a small smile taking over her lips as she reached up to touch the face before her, to check she wasn't dreaming.

"Hey." She murmured quietly, almost shyly. His smile matched hers.

"Right back at you." He replied, catching her wandering hand with his own. They held each other's gaze for a moment, both of them content in the cocoon of their embrace.

"How you feeling?" She meant to speak softly, but she was still slightly deafened, causing Castle to flinch at her volume.

"Sore but okay." He smiled at her, rubbing her fingers with his thumb.

"Thanks for finding me." He whispered, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to her mouth. She leant into his kiss, savouring the touch she'd been missing. She squeezed his hand, rubbing her nose against his before moving slightly back to study his eyes. His eyes quickly clouded with worry as he took in her face. He didn't speak as he released her hand, running his fingers tenderly over her brow. He touched the cut to her eyebrow before moving his fingers along her swollen lip, an angry purple bruise marking the skin around her mouth. His fingertips danced around the edge of her stitches before he gently caressed her cheek.

"Kate." His voice broke on the syllable, seeing her wounds hurt him more than his own. "What happened?"

She shook her head at him, reassuring him with a small smile.

"Long story. Well, stories." She murmured, raising her own hand to stroke his stubbly jaw. His brow creased again.

"Why do you keep shouting?"

"Flash bang." She said simply, using her fingers to rub reassuring circles into his skin as alarm flared in his eyes. "I'll be okay, just finding it a bit hard to hear at the moment."

He frowned at her, a million questions burning in his eyes.

"I promise, I'll tell you everything." She reassured him, "Just… Just let me enjoy this?" She asked, her eyes small as she looked up at him. He paused for a moment, tracing her features again, before nodding.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Worry still creased her brow. "I mean, I spoke to the doctors and everything, but are you okay?"

He understood her meaning perfectly and pressed another soft kiss to her lips.

"I am now." He smiled at her, the kind of smile that reached his eyes, the kind that made her heart skip a beat. She matched his grin, feeling her muscles beginning to unclench for the first time in days. Kate framed his face gently with her hands as she pulled him towards her for a kiss. The kiss started gentle and soothing, but soon they were both searching for the reassurance they needed, passion flaring between them as they nipped and tasted each other.

A knock at the door interrupted them, they pulled back from each other, both panting for air as a gentle flush covered their cheeks.

"Ahem." Martha coughed as she poked her head around the door, causing Kate's face to flush further. Castle grinned at her, running his fingers down her wounded face once more before smiling at his mother.

"Come in, come in!" He called as she held the door open wider for Alexis to enter. They both rushed to his side, greeting him with smiles and kisses as Kate began to rise, untangling herself from Castle's limbs. When Kate's feet touched the floor she began to stand, stumbling ungraciously before catching herself on the wheelchair she had abandoned earlier. Ignoring the wheelchair, she sank into the nearby plastic chair catching Castle's worried gaze staring at her. She shook her head gently at him as she held onto the sides of the small chair.

"I'm okay." She mouthed at him, before pressing her lips together in a smile. He studied her for just a moment, reading the flash of pain in her eyes before he turned back to his mother and daughter.

"Oh, darling! I'm so glad you're okay!" Martha took her son's face in her hands and kissed his forehead, as Alexis squeezed his hands. They sat with him, making small talk and trying to make him laugh as the day slowly ticked by. Kate's eyes never left his face, watching him and the small creases of pain around his eyes every time he laughed too hard. Soon exhaustion began to seep back into his features and his eyes kept falling to Kate's face, to watch her, to study her own level of discomfort. Martha saw the subtle looks passing between them and rose.

"Darling, we'll leave you to rest." She leaned forward to press another kiss to his brow. "I love you."

"I love you too, mother. Thank you for looking after Alexis." He squeezed her hand meaningfully as she moved away and over to Kate as Alexis hugged her father.

"Kate, thank you. Thank you for getting him back." Kate gave her a small smile, still feeling ashamed for hiding from her during the night. Martha leant forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Kate looked meaningfully at Castle and smiled, it caused the flecks in her eyes to sparkle.

"I am now."

Martha nodded knowingly and turned to leave. Alexis paused before Kate, giving her a quick hug.

"Thank you."

And with that silence fell before the room.

Castle watched Kate as she stood, just as she had when he'd laughed, checking for pain as she forced herself not to sway as she crossed the short distance between them. She sat again on the edge of his bed, her fingers running over his, her eyes never leaving his face. He reached up, to touch the soft lines of her face as worry crept back into his eyes, crowding out the exhaustion. He dropped his hand to run it down the sleeve of her arm before tracking it across to touch where the collar of his shirt drowned her slender neck.

"Nice shirt." He murmured, giving her a knowing smile. She ducked down, pressing her face into his neck, breathing him in again before kissing where his pulse beat beneath his skin.

"I missed you." She whispered, confessing into his neck.

"I missed you too." He murmured into her hair. "You don't need the shirt now. You have me." He promised, gathering her close again.

"Always."

Xxx

 _A/N: As always, thank you so much for reading! I feel like the end is drawing near, the next chapter will most probably be the final chapter, if not at least the penultimate. :)_


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Castle and Kate spent the remainder of the night curled in each other's arms. A few times a nurse had tried to force Kate to leave the small hospital bed, but as soon as the warmth of her skin left Castle's body, he began to murmur restlessly in his sleep. Eventually the nurses left her in peace, circled against the warm line of his body.

As dawn began to break over the hospital, Kate felt fingertips dancing across her face, softly touching at each of her wounds.

"Mmm, Castle." She murmured refusing to open her eyes as she nestled her face back into his chest. He continued to stroke her face, her hair, her arms. Kate opened one eye to peek up at him, the sleep had helped the lines of exhaustion to ease from his face. His eyes had returned to their normal colour, now only marred with concern as he touched her dark bruises.

"Castle." She admonished, capturing his hand before pulling it to her mouth so she could press a soft kiss into his skin.

"Tell me what happened." His voice was low, concern was still etched into his eyes with an undertone of guilt. Kate opened her eyes fully and looked up at him. She shook her head, running her hands over his face, assuring herself that he was still really there.

"You should be resting."

"I've rested plenty. I want to know who marked your face." Castle's voice was dark, his eyes never leaving the map work of bruises upon her skin. Kate let out a small sigh, pulling herself up so that she sat beside him. Her leg pressed against him and her forehead rested upon his.

Kate took in his features, he still had small lines of pain around his eyes but he was looking stronger than he had the evening before. Kate caught his fingers with her own, turning her head to look at where their hands met.

"The man who took you, Derek, he was hired by an employee of Dawnbreak. His name was Martin Lucas, it was all a revenge plot against his boss."

Kate paused to think about how to word her next sentence. As she did, she could feel the weight of Castle's gaze upon her face, his squeeze of her hand urging her to continue.

"We took him into interrogation, Special Agent Skinner and I." Kate stopped again, telling the story caused the memories to flash vividly through her mind. The life draining out of Lucas' eyes before her, the rage radiating off Skinner, the sharp sudden pain of his hand colliding with her face.

"The interrogation was going well. Lucas was talking but then he just froze. He stopped cooperating and demanded a lawyer. Skinner just lost it, he pinned him to the wall, he was choking him."

Kate didn't realise how small her voice sounded to Castle's ears, nor did she notice how tightly she was gripping his hand now. Her eyes still refusing to meet his.

"I tried to stop him. I tried to drag him off. I… I pulled my weapon on him. That's when he hit me." Kate heard Castle draw in a sharp breath. "I went flying across the room, I tried to get back to him but it was too late." She finally met Castle's eyes. "He watched me as he died. I saw the life fade from his eyes."

Castle reached up to brush away the lone tear Kate hadn't realised she'd cried.

"Kate." He whispered as he pulled her into his chest, her face pressing against his neck. He pressed kisses into her hair, holding her as close as he could.

"I'm so sorry."

Kate shook her head against him, blinking up at him.

"No, no. You went through worse. I'm being stupid."

Castle's wide hands framed her face, forcing her to look up at him, he could see the guilt that rested within her eyes.

"Not stupid. Human. A man died, Kate. You saw a man die. You have every right to grieve."

Kate took in his features, nodding against his hands, so pleased to have him back. As Castle looked into Kate his eyes flashed with a memory.

"The Good Samaritan? The man that helped me?"

Kate pressed her lips together, before shaking her head softly.

"I'm so sorry, Castle."

Kate lent her head forward, leaning against him again so their noses touched. They looked into each other's eyes, both sets tainted by grief for the people they hadn't known who'd died on this journey. They laced their fingers together, equally grateful that the ones to die hadn't been the other.

Xxx

The next day Castle was strong enough to undergo the surgery on his knee. As the doctors prepared to put him under, Kate stood holding his hand, afraid to let it go. Castle smiled up at her, squeezing her hand in return.

"I'll be okay, Kate." He promised her, flashing her a trademark smile. She looked at him, flattening his hair with her free hand.

"I know." She smiled at him before leaning down to kiss him. He returned her kiss, his lips warm and full of promise as he pressed them against hers.

"I love you." She whispered against his mouth, her eyes closed as she breathed him in.

"I love you, too." He answered, trapping the lone curl that danced across his face with his finger.

"I'll be here when you wake up." Kate promised him, her smile touching her eyes as she looked at him.

"That's all the medicine I need."

The last image Castle had in his mind before he faded into the darkness was of the beauty of her smiling face.

Whilst Castle was in surgery, the doctors realigning the pieces of his kneecap, Kate sat in the waiting room and gave her statements to the FBI and Internal Affairs. Kate spoke to the well dressed men, her eyes continually flicking back to the clock, counting the minutes until Castle would be out of surgery. Gates watched all the interviews, standing at the back of the room, her arms folded before her as she leant against the wall.

Eventually Kate had told them all there was to know, and they closed their folders, sliding their handwritten notes within the pages of their binders. As the door closed behind them Kate was surprised to see Gates still leaning against the tiled wall.

"Sir?" Kate spoke first, swallowing heavily as Gates' threats from earlier echoed through her mind.

"Detective Beckett. It's been a busy few days." Gates came to sit before her, her hands pressed against her knees as she studied Kate.

"I've given my statement to the FBI and IA. Skinner will go to jail. What else is there to say?"

Gates held her eyes, seeing the exhaustion, fear and pain of the last few days flashing across her face. Gates stood before Kate and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Good work, Detective."

Kate felt the rush of air leave her lungs as her body sagged gently in relief. She looked up at Gates, questions in her eyes.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Take a few days. Rest, recover. When you come back there's going to be a lot of paperwork to complete."

Kate smiled, a chuckle falling from her mouth as she nodded at her captain. Gates nodded in response before turning back and walking from the room leaving Kate to sit in a stunned silence.

Xxx

Two days later, Castle was released from the hospital. His leg was set in a cast and would remain that way for eight weeks as the bones healed. His abrasions had began to scab, causing hard pink stains down his limbs, but he couldn't stop smiling as Kate wheeled him from the hospital.

As the hospital doors closed behind them Kate paused where she was, leaning forward to press a kiss on top of his head. Castle leant his head back so he could gaze up at her. Kate smiled down at him before rewarding him with a tender kiss. Castle captured her hand and used it to pull her around until she stood before him. He rested his hands on the curves of her hips, his eyes twinkling at her suggestively. Kate smoothed over his hair before leaning back down to meet his lips. He anchored her in position, his hands squeezing against her soft curves as she messed his hair again with her curling fingers.

"To be continued?" She whispered against his mouth.

"Indeed." He replied against her lips. "How about we skip the breakfast tv show this time?"

The musical sounds of Kate's laughter filled the parking lot as Kate wheeled him towards the car. Their hands still entwined, linked together, as they always should be.

Xxx

The End

Xxx

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and for all the follows, favourites and reviews along the way! I can't believe this journey is over already; the end of my first Castle Fic. You guys have been amazing :)


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